T2: Judgment Day
by TermGirl150
Summary: (Sequel to T1 and The Connors.) With Sarah Connor incarcerated in the United States and separated from her 10 year old son John, Skynet decides to fight back by striking the past, sending its newest machine to kill the boy. As a last resort, the Human Resistance sends a familiar face back to the past in hopes of stopping the machines before the dark future can happen again.
1. Good Morning

**Chapter 1: Good Morning**

 **August 11th, 1995**

 **06:45 A.M.**

 **Los Angeles, California**

—

 _The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves._

—

John Connor's pale green eyes opened slowly at the sound of his alarm clock ringing throughout his bedroom. He groaned as he reached his arm out from under the covers, slamming his hand down on the snooze button. He closed his eyes and shifted in his bed so that he was lying on his side, fully willing to go back to sleep and not worry about the day to come. A few minutes later, John could feel himself drifting back into the darkness of his dreams but one shrill cry ended it abruptly.

"GET UP NOW OR YOU'LL BE LATE!"

John shifted onto his back and mocked his foster mother's cry as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Get up now or you'll be late."

He rolled his eyes as he tossed the covers off of him and walked to his open dresser drawers and grabbed whatever was on the top. He shuffled aimlessly to the bathroom and closed the door, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. He quickly changed out of his pajamas, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and emerged wearing blue jeans with holes in the knees, a plain black t-shirt, and the big camo jacket he had gotten from Enrique. That jacket was one of the only things he had been allowed to keep since he had been relocated to the United States and he had hated every second he was there.

As he walked out of the bathroom and back to his bedroom, he could hear his foster parents, Todd and Janelle Voight arguing and let out a long sigh. He bent down and shoved his worn sneakers on his feet and slung his blue backpack over his shoulder as he walked to the stairs. Todd and Janelle's voices only escalated as he walked past the living room into the kitchen with no interest in their conversation. They argued more in one day than John and his mother had for years in Mexico. It was loud, frustrating, and he was often dragged into it for no reason at all.

John set his backpack down on the floor next to the kitchen island and grabbed a bowl from one of the cupboards. He then walked to the pantry and grabbed a box of cereal without caring what it was and poured it into the bowl. John then poked his head out of the kitchen to see his foster parent's backs turned away from him and a sly smile spread across his face. John softly opened the fridge and checked again to see if anyone was around him. Then he grabbed the milk carton and to further annoy his foster parents, he began drinking out of it before he poured it in his cereal.

"What is wrong with you!?"

John swallowed quickly, almost choking, and slammed the carton down on the counter, drawing in a deep breath. Janelle's brown curls were unbrushed, her dark blue eyes looked more tired than he had seen them before, and she stared at him with annoyance. John smiled at her expression and Janelle dumped some milk in his bowl before she shoved it back in the fridge. She shook her head quickly as she turned back to him, throwing her arms in the air.

"I've told you a thousand times not to do that, John. It's disgusting. Now we all have to drink after your germs!"

John slid his cereal bowl off the counter and shrugged his shoulders as he walked to the kitchen table.

"Todd does it too…"

John set the bowl down on the table and realized he didn't have a spoon. He turned to grab one but saw Kathy come from behind and slam a spoon down on the table as she growled in frustration.

"Just eat your cereal."

John did as she said and began eating his cereal, watching Todd open the curtains to the glass back door. John's dog, Max, was barking incessantly and knew that he had either seen a cat or a squirrel. Todd poked his head out of the door and shouted back at the dog.

"Shut up already!"

John rolled his eyes quickly before Todd closed the door, turning back to his wife and foster child.

"If you can't get that dog to shut its mouth, I'm going to throw it out!"

John locked eyes with his foster father and set his spoon down in his bowl.

"And if you throw it out, I'm only going to be more of a pain than I am now."

"I didn't think that was possible."

John walked back to Janelle who handed him his backpack as he glared back at Todd.

"Trust me, it is."

Todd turned away from John and shouted to Janelle as he walked up the stairs.

"I'll drive him to school."

Janelle didn't look up from her newspaper as she replied.

"Great!"

John set his bowl down in the sink and walked to the back door to get in the car as soon as Todd was ready. He waited at the door when suddenly a loud thump was heard and John realized that Todd had tripped on a couple of the stairs and had shouted in frustration. John pursed his lips together trying not to laugh as Todd shouted a string of curses, kicking the bottom stair. John, knowing that Todd's mood was going to be unbearable, shouted back at them.

"I'll walk today!"

No one protested as John ran out the back door and down the street to the stop sign where his best friend Tim Berkley waiting for him. John slowed to a stop, still laughing, as he smiled at his friend.

"Someone seems to be in a good mood today. That's a first."

John shook his head slowly, clapping a hand on Tim's shoulder as they began to walk to the school.

"I wish I'd seen it. Todd tripped down the stairs again."

"Why? Did you set something up so he would?"

"No, he did it all by himself! Man, he was so mad."

Tim ran a hand through his long red hair before he gripped the straps of his backpack.

"Were they arguing again?"

"They're always arguing. It doesn't really bother me anymore. It's been a couple months now since I was transferred to them."

As the two walked along the sidewalk, waiting for cars to pass before they could cross, a moment of silence fell between the two boys. Tim pressed the button and they waited patiently as cars rode by.

"Have you heard anything about your mother?"

John's smile quickly faded from his face as he rolled his eyes.

"She's not getting any better. She's still crazy."

"She'll get better, John."

"She's supposed to convince them that she is better so she can get out quicker. She promised me that's what she would do. But she's only making everything worse. I can't stand living with Todd and Janelle."

Tim nodded as their light went off and the two boys darted to the other side of the street, running toward their school.

"Hey, they could be worse though. At least they don't beat you."

"Not yet they don't. They're probably too afraid to do it because the police are breathing down my neck, waiting for me to make a move so I can be in the same place as my mom. At least they won't have to worry about paying people to watch me because I'll be in a cell all day."

"Don't even say that, man. You're not going there and your mom will get better. You just gotta give it some time. So… what do you say? Race you to English?"

John grinned as he gripped the straps of his backpack.

"You bet!"


	2. Lunch Period

**Chapter 2: Lunch Period**

John Connor tried to pay attention in school but he was so behind on the different skills that he constantly felt lost. He sat in his seat, taking as many notes as he could, and patiently waited for lunch period. It had been about two years since he was moved to the United States but he still wasn't getting the hang of the new country. Everything was different. He wrote all of his notes in Spanish so he wouldn't forget how to write or speak the language his mother had spent a lot of her time teaching him when he was young.

When the bell rang, John let out a relieved sigh and shoved his notes into his backpack and followed the rest of the class out into the hallway toward the cafeteria. The moment John stepped into the hallway, his mind reflected on events of the previous day and he instantly regretted that decision. He had gotten into a fight with the school bully, Ashton, and John knew that he would be out for blood now. John didn't understand why Ashton wanted to constantly fight everyone but John didn't mind. Fighting was a good way to get all of his anger out.

As John walked toward his locker, he noticed Ashton a few children behind him and closed his eyes for a moment as he set his backpack down in front of his locker. John turned to see Ashton standing in front of him with an angry look on his face and a bruise on his left jaw. Ashton gripped John's arm and pushed him back against the locker, staring at him with his dead brown eyes.

"You'll pay someday, creep."

John smiled at him, watching his lip curl with frustration.

"Yeah, put it on my tab, Ashton."

"No, you…"

"You don't scare me, Ashton. Now get off of me before someone gets hurt worse."

John silently counted for 15 seconds, waiting to see if Ashton would back off or not. After about 20 seconds, John could see his fist curl and he reacted instantly. John took Ashton's arm and twisted it, shoving him into the lockers on the other side of the hallway. Ashton fell to the ground and John ducked down and grabbed his backpack, running for the cafeteria. He pounded through the doors and slid into the table next to his friends, Tim Berkley and Katherine Brewster with a small sigh.

Katherine's light brown eyes looked over him quickly with surprise before she shook her head slowly, causing her jaw length red hair to move with it.

"Knock it off, John, or you'll just get in more trouble."

"I didn't start it."

Tim cocked an eyebrow looking at John skeptically.

"That's what you always say."

"Because it's true!"

Kate set her plastic fork down on her tray as she adjusted her yellow shirt nervously.

"The last thing you need to do is get in more fights. Ashton just wants to be the big bad guy. He's not… but he's trying."

"I'm not scared of him at all, Kate."

Tim glanced between his two friends as he carefully spoke with a mouth full of sandwich.

"How?"

"I was raised in Mexico with other children of gang members. My mom specialized in hand to hand combat and guns. I can't even tell you how many mobs and gangs she was a part of all so she could teach me how to use that stuff. There are a lot scarier people out there than Ashton."

Kate's eyes shifted back down to the food on her tray and John knew she had lost her appetite. John let out a small sigh as he looked between the two of them.

"I… I'm trying to be different but it's not easy. I'm used to lying, running, and fighting; not going to school or having friends."

"Well you have to at least try to care about people's feelings before you act or say something. That's how you get friends."

Tim nodded slowly, interrupting Kate.

"Just start by trying to hold your temper. Stop assuming that everything someone does is bad because it's not. People aren't trying to hurt you, John; it's all in your head. You just have to start seeing the world as we do. It's not all bad. Besides, those machines are from the future, right? There's no reason you have to live like they're going to be here now."

John leaned toward them, speaking softer.

"But they could be here now, that's why we did the things that we did in Mexico."

Kate leaned toward John with a small smile on her face.

"So what? As long as they don't know where you are, you should be fine. Besides, if they were here now, they would probably go after someone important. Not you. You're just a kid. You can stay here for a little while and hang out with friends like us. You are different but that doesn't mean you can't learn how to blend in."

Tim nodded and pushed his empty tray away from him.

"Stop living with your mother's nightmare in the back of your head and try to have some fun."

Kate smiled as she grabbed the straps of her bag, putting it on her shoulder.

"Yeah! I'll ask my mom if she can take us to the arcade later after school. Then we can try to forget the science project that's due next Friday."

The three kids chuckled at the thought and a few seconds later, the bell rang. The three friends did their special handshake before they parted their separate ways to go to their second set of classes.


	3. The Pescadero State Hospital

**Chapter 3: The Pescadero State Hospital**

 **August 11th, 1995**

 **03:20 P.M.**

 **Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane**

 **Pescadero, California**

—

Sarah Connor stood in the center of her cell with her arms folded across her chest as she glared at the sunlight coming from the tiny window at the top of the wall. She let out deep breaths and wiped sweat off of her forehead as she stared at the white all around her. Sarah shook her head slowly as her thoughts raced through her mind. She hated this place and everyone in it. She wasn't crazy; she knew it. But everyone here thought she was and she would prove it to them someday. Someday they would see she wasn't delusional but Sarah knew that she would have to wait until it came.

Sarah's cold blue eyes shifted to the bed in the right corner of the room and drew in a deep breath before she walked toward it. She gripped the thin mattress and pulled it off of the metal bed frame, dragging it to the left of the room. Then she bent down to the ground and grunted as she lifted the bed up onto its side so she could use the foot board to exercise. Sarah shoved the metal bed frame against the wall and drew in three quick breaths before she took off her off-white shirt revealing the white tank top underneath. The white sweatpants she wore were made of a heavy fabric which made her hotter but she was determined.

Sarah jumped up and grasped the bar, letting her lower half hang, and waiting until it was almost still. The muscles in her arms, shoulders, and back rippled as she held herself there, feeling everything tighten up. She let out quick huffs as she began to do as many chin-ups as they would allow her to. She knew she would get in trouble for moving the furniture but she didn't care. She had to be ready to fight at all times just in case they came for her or her son. John was her first and last thought every second of the day and couldn't wait until she could see him again.

Sarah closed her blue eyes as she did the chin-ups, thinking about John and what he had looked like the last time she had seen him. She didn't know exactly how long it had been since she was incarcerated but she knew it was more than one year. That was at least one year of wasted days that she couldn't train John. Her mind raced with thoughts as she tried to think of where he was now or what he was doing. Detectives Ellison and Flores had assured her that he would be taken care of but she didn't trust them. She didn't trust anyone but her son.

Sarah felt her arms begin to give out and hopped down, placing her hands on her hips as she tried to slow her breathing. Her heart beat fast inside of her and her legs burned, wanting to run but that was something she wouldn't get. She used her forearm to wipe some of the sweat off of her forehead and sighed, tilting her head back so she could look at the ceiling. In a few minutes she would do more chin-ups but she needed rest first.

—

Dr. Peter Silberman held tight onto the stack of blue folders in his arms as he directed a few of the new doctors and introduced them to the patients. There were several women escorted by guards in the halls; some to calm them down and others to put them back in their rooms. Dr. Silberman drew in a deep breath as he switched the folder to his favorite patient.

"This next patient is interesting. I've been following her case for years. 29 year old female diagnosed with acute schizoaffective disorder. The usual indicators are present; depression, anxiety, violent actions, and delusions of persecution. However, the delusional architecture is fairly unique."

They continued walk down the hall to the last cell on the left. One female doctor with black glasses and brown hair was paying very close attention to every word Dr. Silberman was saying. Dr. Silberman continued to speak, noticing two guards following behind them.

"She believes that a machine called a Terminator, which looks human of course, was sent back through time to kill her."

The woman with black glasses chuckled softly.

"That's original."

Dr. Silberman nodded once and stopped at the door and turned to the group of doctors.

"And also, that the father of her child was a soldier sent back to protect her."

A male doctor behind the woman with black glasses shook his head.

"No."

Dr. Silberman nodded again, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"He was from the future too. I talked to him in 1984. He was from the year 2031, if I remember correctly."

He turned back to the cell.

"And, here we are."

He pressed the call button on the side and smiled tensely at the back of his patient.

"Good morning, Sarah."

Sarah Connor turned around with her hands on her hips. Her blue eyes looked over Silberman coldly through the small window with her long blonde hair a ratted mess. She smiled darkly as she glared up at him, speaking low.

"Good morning, Dr. Silberman. How's the knee?"

Dr. Silberman nodded nervously, his smile quickly fading.

"Fine, Sarah."

Dr. Silberman released the button and turned back to his colleagues, explaining her remark.

"She, uh, stabbed me in the knee cap with my pen a few weeks ago. She has repeated escape attempts."

Dr. Silberman stepped aside for a moment as the others stepped forward to look at Sarah through the small window. After a couple seconds, Dr. Silberman forced a smile onto his face and motioned down the next hallway to the right.

"Let's move on, shall we?"

The other doctors continued forward and Dr. Silberman stayed behind to speak to the two guards.

"Douglas, I don't like to see the patients disrupting their rooms like this. See that she takes her thorazine."

Douglas, a white man with thinning brown hair and a plump body nodded.

"Sure, Dr. Silberman, I'll take care of it."

Douglas and his partner, a thinner, stronger black man walked up to the door grabbing her medication. Sarah glared at the two as they walked in, ready to fight if she needed to. She smiled harshly as she looked over both of them.

"I'm not taking it. I'm fine."

"Your review is this afternoon. It would be in your best interest to take it."


	4. The Rebel

**Chapter 4: The Rebel**

 **August 12th, 1995**

 **11:25 A.M.**

 **Los Angeles, California**

—

John Connor pulled on the phone's cord as he listened to Tim complaining on the other end. He quickly moved out of the way so Janelle could grab a towel and wipe off the counter. John rolled his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"Can you please make a decision? Do you want to come with me or not?"

Tim was quiet for a moment before he started talking again, trying not to laugh.

"Your excuses are lame. I'll be outside waiting for you in 15 minutes."

Janelle looked up from the counter and stared John down as he hung up the phone. She placed one hand on her hip and looked at him expectantly.

"No, you're not going anywhere until you clean that room and grab the newspaper before it gets soaked by the Holman's sprinkler."

John grabbed his camo jacket off of the counter and scoffed.

"Yeah, okay."

"John…"

John shrugged his shoulders as he walked out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.

"I said okay!"

John turned away from Janelle and rolled his eyes as he walked up the stairs. He quickly walked around the room, stuffing clothes in dresser drawers and shoving everything on the floor under his bed or in the closet. He then cleaned off his desk and hid his homework under his mattress, hoping that he would forget it was there. Then John sat on his bed for a few minutes and waited, occasionally making a sound to make it appear that he was still cleaning.

John blew some of his dark hair out of his face and eyed the clock, pounding his feet on the floor five minutes before Tim was supposed to arrive. Then he jogged down the stairs, ignoring Janelle cleaning and Todd watching television with a beer in his hand, and closed the front door behind him. He walked straight to the garage and opened the door, ready to ride his Honda XR80 again. John smiled as he checked to make sure everything was going to be okay, revving the engine as Janelle walked out the front door.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Janelle grab the newspaper from right under the sprinkler and walk briskly toward him with a stern look on her face.

"John!"

John kept his back to her as he continued to rev the engine, now trying to ignore her instead of checking it.

"John, I know what you did. Now get in there and really clean up that pig sty of yours!"

He revved the engine again, looking straight ahead and ignored her call again. He watched her walk back into the house and smiled once she was out of sight. Janelle rolled her eyes as she walked back into the house, slamming the newspaper down on the kitchen counter. She rubbed her forehead as she walked toward the television to get her husband's attention.

"I swear I have had it with that damn kid. He won't even answer me anymore."

"Honey, move."

Janelle's eyes widened as she stared exasperated at her husband.

"Would you get off your butt and help me?"

Todd's eyes were trained on the television, ignoring her as he watched a re-run of an old football game.

"Todd!"

"What? What?"

"He hasn't really cleaned that room of his in a month."

"Wow, it's an emergency. Hang on; I'll get right on it."

He set the remote down on the coffee table and quickly walked out of the house. He noticed John's red haired friend, Tim, passing John his backpack before he hopped on the dirt bike with him.

"John! Come on, get inside and do what your mother tells you!"

John slipped his backpack on his shoulders and slowly turned to face Todd. He shook his head slowly as he spoke coldly.

"She's not my mother, Todd."

John pressed on the gas pedal and the two drove out of the driveway and onto the street, away from his foster home and parents. Tim shouted over the wind as they drove toward the nearest bank.

"Don't you think that was a little rude?"

John rolled his eyes as he turned left, ignoring Tim's comment.

—

John parked his dirt bike and let out a small sigh as he walked toward the bank's ATM. He pulled his backpack off of his shoulders and grabbed his small palmtop out and spoke quietly.

"Please insert your stolen card now."

He plugged the device into the card slot and watched the lines of code appear on the screen.

"Pin number…"

Hundreds of numbers crossed the screen as he watched Tim glance around nervously.

"Will you hurry up? This is taking too long."

John stared at the computer screen, watching the numbers disappear.

"Go, baby. Go, baby. Go, baby."

The numbers slowly decreased and he smiled as he noticed the PIN number digits appear.

"Alright, pin number 9003…"

"Where'd you learn this stuff from anyway?"

"My real mom. Um, withdraw 300 bucks. Come on, baby!"

He handed the palmtop to Tim and eagerly waited for the money to come out.

"Come on, come on! Yes!"

"Hey, it worked!"

"Alright! Easy money. Come on!"

The two boys walked back to the bike and clapped hands once they were around the corner. John grinned as she shoved the money is his pocket while Tim put the palmtop back into John's backpack.

"Piece of cake!"

"So your mom… she's gotta be pretty cool, huh?"

"No, she's a psycho. That's why she's up in Pescadero. It's a mental institute. She tried to blow up a computer factory but she got shot at and arrested."

"Man…"

John put his backpack back on his shoulders and shook his head slowly.

"Come on, let's spend some money."


	5. Officer Austin

**Chapter 5: Officer Austin**

 **August 12th, 1995**

 **1:30 P.M.**

 **Los Angeles, California**

—

The T-1000 walked slowly around the park, searching for another form he could take on in order to get closer to finding John Connor. He didn't know what the kid looked like or where he lived. The T-1000 scanned the streets and found a police cruiser a couple feet from the park, right next to a small strip of shops. The machine walked directly toward it, weaving in and out of traffic and stopped in front of the officer. The blonde haired buzz cut, blue eyed officer named Officer Austin folded his arms in front of him, looking over the machine with confusion.

"I expect you to have a good reason for jaywalking over here, sir."

The machine took one step closer, cocking its head to the left as its finger formed a long yet thin liquid metal knife. The officer stared at it with surprise but was unable to react fast enough. The machine stabbed its finger into the man's heart, replicating his human form. Officer Austin gasped with pain and fell forward into the T-1000's arms. The T-1000 calmly walked to the back of the car and ripped the trunk open, stuffing the dead man in there before he slammed it shut.

The T-1000 walked to the driver's seat and got in, looking sideways at the computer in the passenger's seat. He typed John Connor's name and identified the results, looking for the address. The moment the machine received the address, the T-1000 started the car and drove to its first lead only 15 minutes away.

—

Todd Voight walked quickly to the front door and tried his best to suppress a sigh as he noticed the police officer on his doorstep.

"Are you the legal guardian of John Connor?"

Janelle walked to the door with a less than surprised look on her face and Todd folded his arms.

"That's right officer, what's he done now?

"Could I speak with him please?"

Janelle folded her arms out of instinct and looked between her husband and Officer Austin. Todd replied with a frustrated tone.

"You could if he were her. He took off on his bike this morning so he could be anywhere."

The officer nodded slowly and his cold blue eyes shifted to Janelle.

"Do you have a photograph of John?"

Janelle hesitated to answer but nodded as she turned away.

"Yeah, sure, hold on."

Todd shoved his hands in his pocket while his wife grabbed the photograph. He looked quickly over the officer with furrowed eyebrows.

"Could you tell me what this is about?"

"I just need to ask him a few questions."

Janelle handed the officer the photograph and watched nervously as he looked over it.

"He's a good looking boy. Do you mind if I keep this picture?"

Janelle shook her head and glanced over at her husband.

"No, go on. There was a guy here this morning looking for him too."

The officer stared at the photograph for a few long seconds so Todd talked quickly to divert his attention.

"Yeah, a big guy on a bike. Does that got something to do with this?"

The officer stopped and his eyes moved away from the photograph and back to the Voights. He shook his head and smiled reassuringly.

"No. I wouldn't worry about him. Thanks for your cooperation."

Todd and Janelle both shook the officer's hand before he walked back to his police cruiser with photo identification of his target. Now he only needed to find where the boy had gone.


	6. The Galleria

**Chapter 6: The Galleria**

 **August 12th, 1995**

 **2:45 P.M.**

 **Los Angeles, California**

—

Tim Berkley quickly walked out of the restroom and past tons of excited kids, trying to find out where John was now. He was sure he had moved on to a different game now; the only question was which one. He slowed down once he noticed a cop ahead, talking to two girls. Tim was tempted to just walk past them but he stopped once he heard the officer speak.

"Hey girls… do you know John Connor?"

Tim drew in a deep breath but tried to keep his cool as the officer turned to him.

"Hey, have you seen this kid?"

Tim glanced at the picture and shook his shoulders.

"Nah, I don't know him."

Tim walked away with wide eyes and quickly rushed to find John. He searched wildly before he recognized John's blue backpack beside the After Burner game he was playing. Tim glanced nervously over his shoulder before he walked right up to his friend.

"John."

John glanced quickly at his friend before he turned back to his game.

"Not now. Not now."

"Hey, man there's this cop scoping for you. Check it out."

John's face twisted with confusion as he paused the game, his green eyes wide with curiosity. He looked over Tim's shoulder and noticed the cop talking to another kid across from the two of them. John's heart sank as the kid pointed in his direction. He let in a nervous breath and Tim nodded toward the exit.

"Split man, just go."

John grabbed his backpack and immediately slipped out of the seat.

"Yeah."

John glanced back to see the officer push a kid out of his way and slammed his shoulder into the door, opening it quickly. The moment he stepped out of the door, John began running. He could hear the door open behind him and the cop's footsteps which only made John run faster. John opened the door at the end of the hallway and ran down a flight of stairs, his heart pounding loudly against his chest. He pushed against a door and stopped to look for the quickest way out of the mall.

He gasped and turned on his heel as a door from the other end of the hallway opened and someone else came through. It was a tall, dark haired man with a squared jaw and dark sunglasses concealing his eyes. He wore a black leather jacket with a dark shirt underneath with blue jeans and combat boots and in his arms he held a long golden box. Fear shut John's brain down as he realized that the man had to be the Terminator from his mother's stories.

The man walked toward John slowly and opened the golden box. Red roses fell down on the ground as he grabbed a shotgun. John gasped and took off running down the hallway again, holding his backpack so it wouldn't fall off of his shoulders. John tried to keep track of his thoughts but his mind was racing faster than he could comprehend. There was a cop and a Terminator chasing him and he didn't know what to do or where to go.

John took a sharp left onto the other hallway and looked back to see the Terminator behind. He shook his head slowly as he moved to continue but stopped once he noticed the cop open the door in front of him. The Terminator aimed his shotgun towards John and spoke with a heavy accent.

"Get down."

John instantly dropped to the ground as the man fired at the cop. The officer stumbled back and John's eyebrows furrowed with confusion and horror as a large silver hole appeared just above his stomach and began to heal itself instantly. The Terminator gripped John's forearm and lifted him up and out of the way of the officer just as the other machine took out its gun to shoot. John shouted terrified and moved to duck as the cop fired numerous bullets at the Terminator's back. The moment the Terminator let go of John, the 10 year old boy ran away.

The Terminator stepped forward and grabbed the cop's arms and pushed it back into the concrete wall. The wall cracked as it broke around the machine. The cop/machine spun around and the two fought down the hallway until the cop was able to launch the Terminator through a shop window. The glass shattered leaving the Terminator on its back. The cop turned away from him and glanced at a silver mannequin before he went to find the boy.

—

John skipped the last three steps on the stairs leading to the parking lot and ran toward a group of parked bikes. John pushed through two teenagers and swiped one of their keys, running for the bike that matched it. The teenager protested and tried to fight but John kicked him in the stomach and shoved the key in the ignition. He twisted the key to try and get it to start and growled with frustration and fear once he saw the cop appear at the top of the stairs.

"Come on!"

The engine fired up and John sped off just as the cop jumped down the rest of the stairs and began to run after the boy. John glanced over his shoulder several times filled with fear as he watched the cop run right behind him. John turned his eyes back to the road and swerved to the left to avoid hitting a person exiting the parking lot. His eyes widened and held his breath as he swerved out of the way of an oncoming semi. The semi moved out of the way and John took that opportunity to cross lanes quickly, speeding down the road.

The cop ran alongside the semi and jumped up, ripping the door off of its hinges. The machine grabbed the driver and threw him out of the vehicle and onto the road. The cop sat in the driver's seat and slammed on the gas pedal, spotting the small bike not too far ahead as he watched the kid speed through an intersection, heading toward an exit ramp. The cop turned lanes and took the same exit, inching closer to the young boy.

John quickly passed under a bridge and looked back to see the semi creeping closer to him every second. He held his breath and tried not to lose control of the bike as the semi rammed into the back of him. John's head snapped back and he gasped in pain, feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach. John didn't want to admit it but the cop/machine had him cornered and he knew he was going to die.


	7. Unfamiliar Timeline

**Chapter 7: Unfamiliar Timeline**

 **August 12th, 1995**

 **3:10 P.M.**

 **Los Angeles, California**

—

The Terminator pursued the semi from a ramp off to the side so it could watch every move. It watched the T-1000 ram into the back of John Connor and the Terminator gripped its shotgun, shooting the machine before it could hit the boy again. The Terminator's bike burst through a fence and bounced as the back of its bike lit up with sparks as it hit the ground. The Terminator landed right behind the semi and tried to maneuver around it but the T-1000 swerved so it could keep the machine away from its target. As the T-1000 sped forward to hit John Connor again, the Terminator sped up the left side and moved so that its bike was right next to the boy's.

Despite the boy's startled and frightened expression the Terminator gripped John's backpack and pulled him off of his bike and onto the machine's. John turned around to watch his bike being crushed under the semi's wheels and passed quickly under a ramp, watching the semi behind them. The cab of the semi slammed into the ramp, crushing it, and it burst into flames. The Terminator stopped the bike a few feet away and aimed its shotgun at the flames, waiting for the machine to come out.

John's heart pounded fast against his chest as he waited for the machine to come out of the fire but it never did. Instead he watched as a flaming tire rolled out and stopped not far from them. John backed away with surprise as the Terminator flipped its shotgun in its hand and stuck it in is holster before it revved the engine, speeding away from the disaster. John could hear sirens wailing in the distance as they drove further from it. He stared at the road ahead of him in shock, unable to wrap his head around what had happened.

Fear filled his body as the Terminator parked behind a strip of buildings and stopped the bike. John jumped off of the bike as soon as he could staring at the machine with wide eyes.

"Holy sh…"

He shook his head quickly and tried to stop his voice from quivering.

"Now don't take this the wrong way… but you are a Terminator, right?"

"Yes. Cyberdyne Systems Model 101."

John watched as the Terminator took out its shotgun out of view of the other pedestrians. John tried to steady his heavy breathing but was finding it impossible to do considering he was staring at the same machine that had tried to kill his mother. She had been right. She wasn't crazy after all.

"Whoa…"

John carefully eyed the Terminator as he walked around to the back of it, poking one of his fingers through one of the holes in the machine's leather jacket.

"You… you're really real."

The Terminator looked away from John and stared straight ahead.

"I mean… whoa… you're like a machine underneath, right? But sort of alive outside?"

"I'm a cybernetic organism; living tissue over metal endoskeleton."

John walked forward, touching the Terminator's face and then saw another bullet hole in his shirt. He pulled out a bullet and shook his head with disbelief.

"This is intense. Get a grip, John. Okay… um, you're not here to kill me. I figured that part out for myself. So what's the deal?"

"My mission is to protect you."

"Yeah? Who sent you?"

The Terminator reloaded its gun and put it away quickly.

"The Human Resistance… 35 years from now they reprogrammed me to be your protector here in this time."

A gust of wind blew John's dark hair in his face and he placed a hand on top of it so it wouldn't get in his eyes.

"Oh, this is deep."

John took a few steps away from the machine, knowing it was keeping its eyes on him. He wasn't sure what to do. John's only thought was of his mother. She had no idea that this thing was out to kill him… but she had always said that it would come someday. John reflected back on the other machine and shook his head again.

"What the hell was that thing? It... I know it's not like you. It… it's a lot scarier."

"It is a T-1000, advanced prototype."

John walked back to the machine, speaking softer.

"More advanced than you?"

"Yes, a mimetic poly-alloy."

"A what?"

"Liquid metal."

"Liquid metal?"

John's face furrowed in confusion.

"I didn't even think that was possible. It… it just heals itself instantly!"

"The T-1000 can imitate anything it touches by physical contact."

John stared at him skeptically.

"Get real! Like it could disguise itself as a pack of cigarettes?"

"No, only an object of equal size."

John stepped forward, placing a hand on one of the bike's handlebars.

"Then why doesn't it become a bomb or a machine gun or something to get me?"

"The T-1000 can't form complex machines. Guns and explosives have chemicals in them. Moving parts. It doesn't work that way, but it can form solid metal shapes."

"Like what?"

"Knives and stabbing weapons."

John's eyes widened at the thought and spoke softly.

"That's comforting. Well, how quickly can it catch up to us?"

"I do not know."

John nodded slowly, trying to think of where to go next. He folded his arms in front of him and let out a small sigh as the Terminator spoke.

"We have to get out of the city immediately and avoid the authorities."

John stepped back onto the bike in front of the machine despite being uncomfortable about it and grabbed the handlebars.

"Listen, I need to stop by my house. I want to pick up some stuff before we leave."

"Negative. The T-1000 will definitely try to re-acquire you there."

John turned around to look at the machine.

"Are you sure?"

"I would."

"Okay then… we could go get my mom!"

"Where is your mother now?"

John hesitated to give the Terminator an answer so he decided to question the machine further.

"Aren't you supposed to know everything already?"

"I am unfamiliar with this timeline."

"What do you mean you are 'unfamiliar with this timeline'?"

John stared at the machine, expecting an answer, and widened his eyes when it didn't reply immediately.

"I can't wait forever!"

"You did not exist in previous timelines."

John opened his mouth in shock and stepped off of the bike again to stare at the Terminator with shock.

"I… I don't exist? What do you mean I don't exist!?"

"Sarah Connor did not have a child with Kyle Reese in previous timelines."

"So… so if I die… I'll just be dead and never exist again!?"

"It is complicated. Where is your mother?"

John folded his arms across his chest in anger and huffed.

"You're a Terminator and capable of explaining complicated things. I want to know."

"After the war, Skynet realized that your mother was a threat so it sent a Terminator…"

"You…"

"… back in time to kill her. The Human Resistance sent a protector named Kyle Reese. In previous timelines, your mother was already in love with another man. Therefore she did not fall in love with Kyle Reese and have a child. You are the result of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese's love. If they did not love each other when Kyle went back to protect her, you would not exist. This is the first timeline where you have existed."

John licked his lips quickly as he pointed at the Terminator.

"So then how did you know to come back and protect me?"

"Skynet recognized a change and investigated it. The moment Skynet realized you existed, it sent the T-1000 back to kill you. The Human Resistance found out and sent me back to protect you."

"So then Skynet knows that my mom is in a mental hospital?"

"Yes."

John's eyes shifted to the ground as he tried to process all he had heard but he continued.

"My mom is in the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane… because of you. They think that she is insane. They took her away from me because of you! And you're going to help me get her out of there. But let's get something straight first… you can't go around killing people. It's bad enough that we're getting her out of there. We don't need to make it worse. You got that?"

"Affirmative."

"Okay then…"

John sat back down on the bike and drew in a deep breath.

"Let's go."


	8. Come Back To Me

**Chapter 8: Come Back To Me**

 **August 12th, 1995**

 **8:52 P.M.**

 **Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane**

 **Pescadero, California**

—

Sarah Connor was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't feel the strain she was putting on her neck from sitting the way she was. She dropped her head down so that her forehead was lying on her knees, trying to give herself some relief. But before she could a warm hand rested on her shoulder.

"Sarah?"

Sarah hesitated to move unsure of what to do. Her heart ached inside of her as he called her again.

"Sarah…"

Her blue eyes filled with tears as she slowly lifted her head, staring at the person she wanted to be with the most.

"Kyle…"

Kyle Reese stared back at her with a sad smile and his familiar green eyes. She shook her head slowly as she sat up straighter; trying to tell herself that he was really there. But she let her instincts take over and placed her hand on his warm cheek.

"But you're dead…"

Kyle brought his hand up and gripped her wrist gently, pulling her hand off his face. Instead he placed a hand behind her head, staring straight into her blue eyes.

"Where is our son, Sarah?"

A tear rolled down Sarah's cheek at the thought of her boy. Her voice quivered as she spoke, feeling guilt stab her from inside.

"They took him from me."

Kyle's green eyes drifted away from her for a moment and as she began to cry he looked back at her.

"He needs you, Sarah."

"But I can't… I…"

Kyle sat down on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist tenderly.

"You're stronger than you think, Sarah. You can save our son. You can save John."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Kyle, resting her head on his shoulder. She could feel the warmth of life flooding through him as his chest rose and fell gently. She breathed in the smell of her long lost lover before her heart took over and she kissed him. She held it for a few seconds, wanting it to be longer, but Kyle pushed her away and she stared at him confused.

"He doesn't believe in me, Kyle. They'll only take him further from me. He isn't my son anymore. You… you have to come back to me and help me. Please… help me…"

Kyle gripped her arms firmly with determination set in his eyes.

"Sarah, he does believe in you. I've been watching over him but I can't help him like you can. You may not be able to see it but he believes in you and he loves you. He needs you, Sarah."

Sarah drew in a deep breath to speak but hung her head in defeat. Kyle's grip tightened and he shook her gently so she would look at him.

"Sarah, you need to find him. You need to save him. The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. He believes in you… the time has come for you to believe in him."

She moved forward to wrap her arms around him again but as she did she hugged empty air. She gasped, not wanting him to leave, and turned to the door where her lover stood, staring at her sadly.

"Kyle, please, I…"

"There isn't much time, Sarah. Skynet is coming for him."

Tears ran down Sarah's cheek as her heart ached to be with him. She shook her head slowly.

"Please don't leave me, Kyle."

Kyle smiled as he pushed the cell door open, turning away from her. Sarah leapt off of the bed and ran toward the door, shoving her shoulder in the way before it could close. She ran out of her cell to see Kyle standing at the end of the hallway with his back turned to her.

"KYLE!"

Kyle turned back to her slowly. Sarah wanted to stay close to him, to feel his heartbeat, and to hear his breaths rise and fall like she remembered. She didn't want him to leave her again. She wanted him to live and come back to her. But with every step she took, he stepped further away from her. His face curved into a slight smile that Sarah had always loved seeing.

"I would never leave you, Sarah. I am always right there with you; helping you… protecting you."

Tears streamed down Sarah's cheeks as she began to walk closer to him.

"But I love you, Kyle Reese! I need you to come home! I need you to meet John!"

"I know, Sarah."

Kyle turned his back to Sarah once more and she sprinted down the hallway, trying to chase after him. At the end of the hallway, he turned to her and she watched a tear fall down his cheek before he disappeared in a column of bright light.

"Never stop fighting, Sarah. I love you."

Sarah dropped to her knees on the hard ground and squeezed her eyes shut as she sobbed.

—

Sarah Connor opened her blue eyes with a start to find that she had been strapped down the bed like the night before. She quickly closed her eyes and waited in the silence for a guard to come. She refused to fall asleep. She had to do what Kyle said. She had to get out. She had to find John. After what felt like an eternity, a guard finally came in to check her restraints and she fought every urge to move.

She felt the guard move closer, making sure everything was tight. Once he reached the straps on her chest, she opened her eyes and banged her head against his. She twisted her hand so that it caught the key as it fell out of his hand. He stumbled back in pain and she moved her hand as much as she could, shoving it in the restraint for her left arm. That quickly got free and she punched the guard in the face as he came back to get her.

Her hands trembled as she quickly unlocked the restraints on her other arm and upper half and moved to her legs. Once she was unlocked, she lunged off of the bed, jumping onto the guard as he was trying to run away. Their bodies slammed down on the ground and she grit her teeth in anger, wrapping her hands around his throat as the alarms went off.

"Give me the PIN."

The man shook his head and Sarah squeezed harder.

"Give me the PIN!"

The guard refused so Sarah shoved his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious. She quickly swiped his badge and ran for the door. She closed the door behind her, locking the guard inside her cell. Sarah grit her teeth and ran for the guard's office, smashing the glass case of the fire extinguisher with her foot. She gripped the extinguisher and jammed the hook off of it near the gate, pulling against it.

After an immense amount of force, the gate hissed open and Sarah tossed the fire extinguisher to the side and began to run. Red lights flashed through the dark hallways and alarms blared in her ears but she continued to run as fast as she could. She could see three guards running for her and she prepared herself mentally for a fight.

She and the first guard collided, crashing onto the floor. Sarah landed hard on her right side but grit her teeth and began to fight him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kneed his stomach twice, grunting with effort and anger. Another guard came from behind and slammed her down to the ground. She punched him several times in numerous places then kicked him the groin and rolled away from him. She then continued to run, knowing she could make it further.


	9. Come With Me If You Want To Live

**Chapter 9: Come With Me If You Want To Live**

 **August 12th, 1995**

 **9:37 P.M.**

 **Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane**

 **Pescadero, California**

—

Sarah turned another corner, feeling her heart pound faster with each step. She could see gates closing and hear guards scurrying to get her and knew she didn't have long. She turned a sharp corner and ran toward the elevator so she could get to the staircase. Sarah looked behind her quickly before she looked back to see the elevator doors open. She gasped with fear and lost her footing, sliding onto the floor.

Sarah's heart stopped instantly and her mind sent brutal flashbacks to her mind. Car chases, Kyle's death, and the red beady eyes of the Terminator. She shouted and felt her adrenaline kick in as she stared at the familiar machine.

"No, no, no!"

She scrambled to get off of the floor and ran back the way she came, willing to fight the hospital's guards rather than face that Terminator. She shook her head slightly with disbelief. How could that machine be here? How did it find her? All thoughts of her personal safety instantly faded once she realized how the Terminator must have found her… John. Anger filled her as she continued to run, afraid of what the machine might have done to her son.

—

John watched his mother run and shouted with surprise.

"MOM!"

He moved as if to run after her but the Terminator gripped his forearm, pulling him back.

"What are you doing!? Let me go!"

"No."

John stared at the Terminator with disbelief, unsure of what to think about the situation. John's eyes widened slowly as he pulled against the Terminator's grip.

"You lied to me. You're going to kill me in front of my mother, aren't you!?"

John grit his teeth in anger and fear and continued to pull away as the Terminator looked John straight in the eyes.

"I am not here to kill you. It is against my programming."

"Then let go of me!"

The Terminator released John and the boy shook his head slowly before he took off running down the hallway after his mother.

"Mom!"

Sarah stopped and turned around quickly, breathing heavily.

"John?"

John stopped, thinking that she didn't recognize him. He continued to walk toward her slowly but she shook her head, backing away from him.

"You're not here, John. Get out of my head."

"Mom, I'm really here."

"John…"

Sarah turned to see guards coming down the hallway and turned quickly back to her son and shouted.

"Run, John, run!"

She began to run again and John followed right behind her, begging her to stop. Sarah turned a corner and let out a cry of pain as a guard body slammed her into the ground. Her left shoulder exploded with pain and she screamed as the guard tried to restrain her.

"No! Get off of me! GET OFF!"

John's heart sank at his mother's cry and went to turn the corner but the Terminator grabbed his arm and pulled him back once more. John stamped his foot in frustration and stared at the machine angrily.

"What the hell!?"

The Terminator ignored the boy's response and let go of him, cocking its shotgun.

"You can't kill them."

The machine turned to John and spoke briskly.

"Trust me. Stay here."

"She's my mother. I need to help her!"

John moved as if to go forward again and the machine grabbed the boy and shoved him into the wall. John gasped in pain and held his aching head, staring at the machine with shock. He could still hear his mother's cries and watched as the Terminator turned the corner, saying one last thing.

"Stay here, John."

John hesitated to obey the machine's orders but his head ached so he stayed behind the corner.

—

"No! Don't you get it!? It's here! The machine… IT'S HERE!"

Sarah struggled against the two guards pinning her down on the floor, shouting with fear and anger. Sarah kicked the approaching doctor in the stomach and he stumbled back, gasping. She wriggled from side to side, not wanting to stay still for a second, gritting her teeth through the pain.

"It will kill all of us! Let me go!"

A gunshot went off and the guards went still, turning to see the Terminator with its shotgun aimed at the ceiling. Sarah gasped with fear and watched as one of the guards rushed toward the machine. It punched the machine's face, knocking its sunglasses off, and the machine replied by tossing him into the window. The second one got out its gun but the Terminator placed its hand over the barrel quickly and twisted his arm so he wouldn't shoot. The guard cried out in pain and the machine tossed him aside.

The Terminator then bent down toward Sarah, extending its hand.

"Come with me if you want to live."

Sarah's panicked breaths escalated as she stared at the machine with wide, fearful eyes.

"Mom!"

Her face quickly molded to disbelief as she watched her son run up to the machine.

"Did you kill them!?"

"No."

John then knelt next to his mother opening his arms to hug her but Sarah recoiled from him, afraid. John leaned forward and forced his way into her arms, squeezing her tight. Tears filled his green eyes as he hugged her, finally feeling that they could live their old lives again. Sarah quickly recognized he was real and began to gasp with relief, squeezing him so tight he could barely breathe. He drew away slowly and Sarah ruffled his hair, looking over him tenderly.

"Mom, it's okay. The Terminator isn't here to kill us. Well… not this one, at least."

"What do you mean 'not this one'? Is there another one?"

Sarah hesitantly took the Terminator's hand and he lifted her to her feet.

"Affirmative. A T-1000 was sent to kill John Connor."

Sarah instantly gripped her son's shoulders, pulling him closer to her to protect him. She quickly glanced at the hallways and nodded toward the hallway that would lead to the elevator.

"This way."

Sarah began to run again, tugging John behind her and didn't slow down until they reached the elevator. She drew in a deep breath as she slammed her hand down in the button just as a cop turned a corner. Sarah stared at it with confusion and gasped as the Terminator quickly shot the officer. John jumped into the elevator as soon as it opened and gripped his mother's wrists, pulling her in with him.

"That's the T-1000, mom!"

Sarah stared with horror as the Terminator continued to shoot the T-1000. But instead of the bullets hitting a metal endoskeleton, it created silver holes in its body that quickly healed themselves. The Terminator backed into the elevator just as the T-1000 walked through an iron prison gate. John pushed his mother back as he slammed his hand on the button to close the doors to the elevators several times.

"Come on! Come on!"

The Terminator stepped inside just before the doors closed. But as the elevator began to descend, a long metal knife came bursting through the steel door, aimed right at John. John jumped back letting out a scream of shock and Sarah slammed him back against the wall away from the knife with fear. The Terminator shot the knife and it disappeared through the crack. The Terminator backed up and took the pistol out of its back pocket, handing it to John discreetly.

The elevator reached the ground floor and the moment the doors opened, Sarah and John rushed out. The T-1000 morphed through the ceiling and reformed to fight the Terminator. While Sarah continued running, John cocked the pistol and shot the T-1000 in the head. Sarah scurried back and ripped the gun out of his hands and shot the T-1000 several times in the chest.

"Run, John!"

Sarah nodded at the Terminator and the two Connors ran away from the fight toward the parking lot. They ran toward a doctor running to his car and stopped him. Sarah pointed the gun at the man and shouted at him to hand her the keys. He did and backed away, fearful. Sarah kept the gun trained on the man as she handed the keys to John, shoving him into the car as soon as she could. He quickly crawled to the backseat and she jumped into the driver's seat.

She started the car quickly and slammed on the gas pedal, driving straight for the Terminator. She stopped a few feet from the machine and slid into the passenger's seat. The Terminator put the car in reverse and sped backwards just as the T-1000 began to pursue them. Sarah grit her teeth as she rolled down the window and hung out of it, shooting the machine four times, knowing it was useless. She shot until she felt the Terminator pull her back inside the car just as it took a sharp right, headed straight for a metal gate. John shouted from the backseat.

"It's gaining on us! Hurry!"

The Terminator sped away from the hospital and out on the open road with the T-1000 close behind. John watched from the back window as the T-1000's arms grew into long metal hooks, jumping forward and latching onto the trunk of the car. The Terminator swerved the car from side to side, dragging the T-1000 with it. John ducked once he saw the T-1000 release one of its arms and heard the glass shatter seconds later. He kept his head down as the T-1000 swung its blade back and forth, trying to hit him blindly.

"Drive."

Sarah slapped her hands on the wheel and ducked as the Terminator turned; firing several shots at the T-1000's hook arms until they broke off. John sat up once the machine was gone and gasped with relief. He noticed a piece of the hook was still there and leaned forward, throwing it off of the car. John sat back against the seat and let out a long sigh, trying to calm his racing heart.


	10. Why?

**Chapter 10: Why?**

John trained his eyes out the back window, waiting to see the T-1000 come running but it didn't. After staring out the back for a few minutes, he turned around to see his mother's worried expression.

"It's not back yet. There's nobody behind us."

"Are you alright?"

John nodded as he sat forward in the seat, looking out the windshield at the long, dark road ahead of them. He glanced at the Terminator and drew in a deep breath.

"Can you even see anything?"

The Terminator's eyes remained on the road as he spoke briskly.

"I see everything."

John leaned back in his seat, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"Cool."

John watched his mother nervously. She glanced out the side mirror, the windshield, but always looked longer at the Terminator. She shook her head slowly as she stared at it. He could see the anger in her blue eyes as she looked at the machine that had taken John's father from them. He understood why she was mad. The Terminator had taken everything from them and he knew that it wouldn't be easy to convince her to work with the machine that looked like the same one from 1984.

Sarah's eyes darted away from the machine and back to John. She leaned forward and stretched her arms out, wanting John to come closer.

"Come here."

A small smile grew on John's face as he leaned forward to hug her. He had been waiting for this moment for years. He was so excited to be back with his mother. But he quickly realized that she didn't want a hug. John drew away slowly, watching as Sarah's hands frantically patted him down. John stared at her with disbelief.

"I said I was okay!"

His mother grit her teeth as she stared straight into his green eyes.

"John…"

Sarah began shaking her son, trying to get some sense into him.

"It was stupid of you to go there."

John's heart broke as he watched his mother speak angrily toward him.

"Damn it, you have to be smarter than that. You almost got yourself killed!"

Tears blurred in John's eyes as he watched her, feeling his heart break. She shook her head slowly at him.

"What were you thinking? You cannot risk yourself, even for me. Do you understand? You are too important! Do you understand!?"

Sarah let out a frustrated sigh as she let him go, turning her back to him. John recognized the Terminator watching him but he didn't care. John stared at the back of his mother's head, unsure of what to say. He wanted to tell her how sad and angry she was making him feel and how he had missed her for years. But she didn't to want hear that. He felt like he should have known that she didn't care about that. Hurt by his mother's words, he said the only thing he could.

"But… I had to get you out of that place. I'm sorry."

Sarah turned back to him quickly.

"I didn't need your help. I can take care of myself."

John shook his head slowly.

"No, you can't! If you could take care of yourself, you would have been out of that place years ago! But you didn't even try! You didn't even try to break out or try to act better so your sentence could be shortened. You just stayed there and did nothing!"

Sarah pointed her finger at her son, raising her voice.

"I did everything I could to get out of there, John. The last thing I need is for you to run in to save the day and get yourself killed! You have no idea what it is like fighting those machines, John. You are too young to understand that right now. That's why I stayed there for so long! I stayed there so you could be safe!"

Instead of backing down, John raised his voice so that it was louder and more emotionally charged than her's.

"I wasn't safe there! You left me alone to fend for myself when you let yourself get arrested. Every family I went to hated me! The government would pay them to keep me as long as they could and I knew it. I didn't know how to make friends or how to solve a math problem, all I knew was how to run away from things! You left me there! Why would you do that to me!? I thought you loved me!"

"You know I love you, John. I did it because it was best for you to be there with someone else!"

"You're my mother! You're the only family I have! Why would you do that!? Why would you let me live somewhere with people that don't care about me!?"

"John, I did it because it was safer for you to be there with them rather than with a psychopath!"

John shook his head furiously as the tears streamed down his cheeks.

"You are not a psychopath! The Terminator is right there in front of YOU! You knew you weren't crazy and you didn't even try to convince them that you're not! You didn't do anything!"

Sarah's eyebrows furrowed with anger as she shouted.

"That's enough, John!"

John grit his teeth and sat back against his seat, turning his head away from his mother as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks. He shook his head slowly, wrestling with the emotions inside him. A long silence filled the car as neither Connor would dare to say another word. After a few minutes had passed, the Terminator looked back at John through the rearview mirror.

"What's wrong with your eyes?"

John scowled at the Terminator.

"Nothing."

He took one last look at his mother's back before he looked out the window, not wanting to hear anything else she had to say.


	11. Light

**Chapter 11: Light**

 **August 13th, 1995**

 **1:14 A.M.**

—

Sarah Connor ran a hand through her ratty blonde hair as she watched the Terminator slowly navigate through the small neighborhood.

"Where are we going?"

"Some place to stay the night. You and John need rest."

"Will it be safe?"

The Terminator glanced over at Sarah and she knew that it wasn't exactly the safest thing to do. But she was dying to see something in the real world again so she went with it. She heard John draw in a breath from the backseat and speak quietly.

"Are you ever afraid?"

The Terminator replied quickly.

"No."

"Not even of dying?"

"No."

John looked at the machine skeptically.

"You don't feel any emotion about it one way or another?"

"No, I have to stay functional until my mission is complete. Then it doesn't matter."

John nodded slowly before he replied sarcastically, staring at his mother through the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, I have to stay functional too. I'm too important."

Sarah fought the urge to roll her eyes and let out a slow breath, speaking softly.

"Alright, John."

John sat back against his seat and stared at the window again, leaving the car in complete silence. After 15 minutes of silence, the Terminator pulled off at the nearest motel and parked the car. John got out of the car quickly, not looking once at his mother and walked right beside the Terminator. Sarah knew that he had every right to be angry but she also knew that he could never stay angry for long so she knew it would be okay. They quickly paid for one night and walked to their room.

Sarah smiled softly as she looked over the details of a motel. She was surprised to find that it felt a lot normal than she had expected. After the first year in the mental hospital, she had tried to picture her cell with a desk or a picture frame; something small to keep her sane. And over time she realized just how much those small things made a difference. She would take a run-down motel any day over four white walls with nothing but a bed and a toilet. The moment the door opened, John threw his backpack on the ground and jumped onto the bed, still turned away from her.

Sarah stepped inside and took the key from the Terminator's hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Outside to keep watch."

Sarah nodded slowly and closed and locked the door even though it wouldn't matter much. The false illusion of safety was enough to help her relax. After losing the adrenaline, she was exhausted but there was only one bed and she didn't want to make John any angrier so she kept her distance. She slowly shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the sink, flushing the cold water on her face to try to wake her up and to wipe off some of the sweat. As she drew away, grasping for a towel she realized how good it had felt to clean herself and turned to look at the shower.

Sarah peeked out the bathroom door quickly to see John breathing slowly and deeply meaning that he was close to falling asleep. So Sarah closed the door and drew in a deep breath as she turned on the warm water. The moment she stepped in the shower, she felt all her cares slowly wash away. She had no idea how long she had stayed in there but she had enjoyed every moment. However, the moment she stepped out she was carried away in her thoughts.

As she put her clothes back on and dried her long blonde hair she stared at her reflection in the mirror, shaking her head slowly. She didn't understand who would send the same Terminator that had caused so many problems for her in the past to protect them now. She had a hard time trusting it. It moved rigidly and she knew it was incapable of even understanding emotions. The machine had the same likeness as the one who had tried to kill her when she was 19. She would give anything to go back to 1984 and not know anything she did now.

Sometimes it felt like too much was on her shoulders. Her life had been ripped away from her faster than she could have ever imagined. She had gone from being a nobody to the mother of the future to falling in love with a soldier from the future. The only light in her life was her son. John was the only reason she hadn't tried to kill herself in the mental hospital. The burden was too much to bear alone and she needed help. It was hard to stay so close to the machine with her son without thinking of the killer the Terminator was programmed to be.

Sarah turned out the light before she walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her, letting out a small sigh. She walked to the edge of the bed and took a long look at her boy. He still had the same dark hair and the same green eyes but she couldn't come to grips with how much he had grown. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping just like he used to when he was a little baby. He had been the best child for a woman who hated taking care of children because he learned early on that he had to do things himself. Sarah hated it but it was true. She never wanted to have a child but now that she did have one and was separated from him, she never wanted to be far from him again.

But no matter how peaceful he looked, Sarah could still see a hint of sadness in his expression. Sarah wondered what his last thought had been before he had fallen asleep. She hated that she hadn't tried to make up with him before he had fallen asleep but she didn't want to do it now. The poor boy deserved as much sleep as he could get.

Sarah gently got onto the bed and let out a deep sigh as she brushed his bangs out of his face.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, John."

John squirmed and sighed softly as if replying to what she had said which made her smile. Sarah leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently, lying down on the other side of the bed. She closed her tired blue eyes and focused on slowing her breathing. She knew it was only a matter of time before the whole country including killer machines would be looking for them but she didn't want that to be her last thought of the day. Sarah drew closer to her son and gently pulled him closer to her chest. She held her sleeping child in her arms, breathing in every last second of that freedom she could get, not wanting to waste any more time.


	12. Surprise

(Thanks to Mickol93 who suggested I should write a chapter where John dreams about his father. I hope you guys like it.)

 **Chapter 12: Surprise**

"John?"

John felt his mother shaking him gently, trying to wake him up but John ignored her, waiting until it was over.

"Hey, come on. Get up. I've got a surprise for you."

"I don't wanna get up."

"John…"

He felt his blanket slowly being taken away and gripped it tight, not wanting to be cold.

"Mom!"

His mother let go of the blanket and patted his shoulder three times as she stood up.

"Come on, John. Let's go."

John heard her close the door behind her and he turned his back to the door. He knew he didn't have any big plans for the day, and it was Saturday, so he figured he would just sleep a little longer. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to slow his breathing, pulling the blanket up to his chin. A few minutes later he heard someone walking back toward his room and he tensed up but immediately relaxed not wanting to give himself away.

The door opened slowly and he tried to make sure nothing stood out. John felt someone sit down on the bed beside him and ruffle his dark hair gently. He knew that touch. He instantly opened his eyes and turned slowly in his blankets to see his father there smiling down at him.

"I knew you weren't really asleep, kiddo."

John sat up quickly, throwing his arms around his father with a large grin.

"I didn't know you were coming home!"

He drew away slowly looking straight into his father's pale green eyes, recognizing a small scar just above his left eyebrow. The dark haired, tan-skinned, Army soldier looked down at his son with the same smile he always had on his face.

"I wanted to make it a surprise."

John shook his head slowly as he laughed and wrapped his arms around his father once more, squeezing him even tighter.

"I missed you."

"Oh, I missed you too, Johnny boy."

John drew away and sat back down on his bed, pulling his covers into his lap.

"Where did the great Kyle Reese go this time?"

"I would tell you but I need you to tell me something first."

John flashed a confused expression and glanced away from his dad, trying to think of what he would want to hear. He wasn't doing great in math and he could have listened to his mother better but he didn't think there was anything else. Not one that he knew of. He pursed his lips together as he racked his brain but was unable to come up with anything. Kyle recognized the look on his son's face and placed his hand on John's knee, looking straight into his pale green eyes.

"Your mother told me about your nightmare."

"Oh… yeah."

"What's wrong, John?"

John rubbed his fingers nervously at the thought and spoke softly as tears blurred in his eyes.

"Charlie was so excited because she figured out that her dad was coming home in a month and we made all these plans to get together once you and her dad came back. I was at her house talking about it when a messenger came and… and her mother instantly started crying. And then Charlie started crying."

A tear rolled down John's cheek as he looked up at his dad.

"There was a funeral and… and I didn't know when you were going to come back. And I just got scared. I was afraid that you wouldn't come home and that… that there would be a messenger on our door and… and that…"

John's voice choked in his throat at the thought and closed his eyes as the tears began to fall. Kyle leaned forward and pulled John closer, holding him tight in his arms as the boy cried.

"I was afraid you would die and that I… I would never get to see you again…"

John rested his head on his father's chest feeling the warmth and comfort that was coming from him as he tried to calm himself down. He drew in a few shaky breaths as he wiped away his tears, sniffling softly.

"You know, it's okay to be afraid of those things, John. Military life is hard and I miss you and your mother every day. It takes strong people to live the way we do. You're a lot braver than you think you are."

"But what if you don't come back?"

"I will."

"But what if you don't!?"

Kyle drew in a slow breath before he looked down at John.

"Now your mother doesn't necessarily believe this but I do so I'm going to tell you. Even if I don't come back, I will never truly be gone. I may not be with you physically but I will be there with you all the time in spirit. I don't think we are born to only have one life together. I may be crazy, like your mother thinks, but that's what I believe until it can be proven otherwise. I'll always be with you and I will always love you. Do you understand?"

John nodded slowly with a small smile as he wiped his wet eyes off with his sleeve. Kyle chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms under John's legs, getting off the bed. John grinned as he was lifted into the air and set down on his feet. Kyle ruffled his hair gently with a smile.

"Now let's go downstairs and help your mother with breakfast."

John's grin widened at the thought.

"She burned the pancakes yesterday."

"Really? How did that work out?"

John nodded quickly and shrugged his shoulders.

"They were good... just a little crunchy."

The two reached the stairs and Kyle placed a hand on John's shoulder, bending down to his level, looking serious.

"Last one downstairs does the dishes for mom!"

John moved to run ahead but Kyle pulled him behind.

"Hey! Not fair!"

Kyle laughed loudly as he charged down.

"I'm winning!"

"Not for long!"


	13. It Will Not Stop

**Chapter 13: It Will Not Stop**

 **August 13th, 1995**

 **8:37 A.M.**

—

John grimaced in his sleep and opened his eyes slowly to feel a tear roll down his cheek. He sniffled softly and wiped his wet eyes, feeling his mother's arm holding him tight. He drew in a deep breath and stared at the curtains sadly. He wished he could see his father at least once for real so he would have to stop imagining what he was like but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He tried to move out of his mother's grip but struggled and let out a frustrated sigh. After wriggling for a couple more seconds he accidentally elbowed his mother in the face and tensed up as he watched her move slowly. He did not want her to wake up angry.

He stared at her for a few seconds after she moved off of him to make sure that she was still asleep and exhaled quickly. He quickly slid off of the bed and jogged to the bathroom. When he came out, the Terminator was sitting on the ground with a large wooden box. John walked forward with a confused expression as he gestured to the box.

"What is that?"

"Weapons."

John smiled as he sat down on the floor beside the Terminator.

"Cool. Can I look at them?"

The Terminator replied by opening the box and John gasped.

"You sure packed a lot in here. Back when I lived in Mexico, we had bunkers of these things. Of course, only mom was allowed in them but it was still cool. She would come out with all these awesome and very dangerous guns. She taught me how to shoot a few of them. It was fun!"

The Terminator took the guns out one at a time and made sure the safety was on before he would give them John.

"She used to go out almost every night with those weapons and I'd have to stay awake so that she wouldn't worry. It was hard. But then when she got busted, I got put into regular school."

John's smile faded quickly as he placed one of the guns back in the box, speaking mockingly.

"All the other kids were into _Nintendo._ But I've always liked guns."

A moment of silence passed between the boy and the machine before John spoke again.

"I'm going to take a shower before my mom wakes up. Don't leave without me."

John grabbed his blue backpack and closed the bathroom door behind him. The Terminator loaded the rest of the guns into the trunk and closed it. The loud noise startled Sarah and she sat up instantly, looking over the machine with anger in her blue eyes. She quickly looked away from the Terminator and rubbed her eyes slowly, letting out a long sigh.

"Why the hell would the Human Resistance send you? I _hate_ you."

The Terminator turned toward Sarah and replied quickly.

"The Human Resistance needed something John Connor would recognize. They knew that he would have been taught to recognize the appearance of the machine that tried to kill his mother."

"And murdered his father. Did the Human Resistance think about how that might hurt him? He's never even met his father and now he has to travel with the machine that looks exactly like the one who killed his dad."

"The Human Resistance had to act quickly."

Sarah shook her head quickly as she folded her arms across her chest, staring the machine down.

"Why would they create another machine that looks like you? Your appearance is a dead giveaway that you are not on their side."

"You are angry."

Sarah threw her arms in the air, raising her voice.

"Yeah, I am! I'm angry because I'm staring at my greatest nightmare! I know that you are not the same machine but I don't care. You are a machine. And the machines took everything away from me and from John."

She rose to her feet, staring straight into the machine's dead eyes as her voice quivered with sadness.

"I used to dream that Kyle and I would have been able to kill you and about the life we would have had if you hadn't punched a hole in his chest! Instead I had to learn to do everything by myself and I hurt my kid in the process. You took away something that I can never get back. You can create all the machines you want but they're worth nothing compared to a human life. You're nothing but nuts and bolts sewn together for chaos and death."

"I am not Skynet."

"But they made you… and it could take you back at any second. So just… just stay away from my kid."

Sarah looked away from the machine, not saying anything for a few minutes. She heard the water turn off and a little while later John came out, glancing between the machine and his mother. He slipped his backpack on his shoulders and smiled softly.

"I'm ready."

Sarah smiled back at him and walked over to the bathroom, kissing her son's forehead quickly before she took the shopping bag with clothes and shoes from the Terminator. She changed quickly and pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail, feeling relieved to be out of the white hospital clothes. She balled up the nasty clothes and tossed them in the garbage can, feeling a flood of relief come over her. Two minutes later they checked out of their room and the Connors followed the Terminator to an old beige car.

The Terminator set the large box of weapons down in the backseat and John moved to sit there but Sarah gently pushed him out of the way. John smiled at his mother once he caught her train of thought and quickly sat down in the front seat. Once the Terminator stepped into the car, Sarah spoke.

"Where did you get the car?"

"You do not want to know."

Sarah nodded slowly, not knowing what to say.

"Okay."

John set his backpack down on the ground in front of him and sat back against the seat.

"Before we get to wherever we are going, can we go to a payphone? Todd and Janelle are jerks but I've got to warn them about the T-1000. Oh, and breakfast would be nice too."

Sarah chuckled from the backseat.

"You've become quite demanding."

"I'm just suggesting what I would like."

Sarah nodded once and glanced at the Terminator in the rearview mirror.

"We'll stop at a diner for breakfast and so John can call Todd and Janelle."

"Affirmative."

—

John patted his pockets once they reached the payphone and looked expectantly at the Terminator.

"Got a quarter?"

The Terminator punched the coin collector and handed a quarter to John. John shrugged his shoulders and slid it in, dialing the number quickly.

"Hello?"

John felt relieved for a moment having heard Janelle's voice.

"Hey, Janelle, it's me."

"John? John, is that you? Where have you been? The cops are here, they've been looking for you. You've had us worried sick!"

John's eyebrows furrowed with confusion and pulled the phone away from his ear, whispering to the Terminator.

"Something's wrong… she's not angry enough."

"John, I'm really getting worried. Where are you?"

John could hear Todd shouting as Max barked in the background.

"What is that dog barking at!? Shut up already!"

John turned to the Terminator and whispered.

"I can hear the dog barking… maybe it's already there?"

"Hey Janelle, tell John I'm getting rid of that stupid mutt!"

John drew in a deep breath.

"You can tell Todd that I miss him too."

"I will. Just please, tell me where you are."

"Janelle!"

John eagerly listened to hear what Todd was going to complain about next but the line was silent for too long. A chill ran down John's back as he thought of all the possibilities, wondering if the T-1000 was there now.

"John, where are you?"

John recoiled from the phone and looked at the Terminator with wide eyes. The Terminator stepped forward, wrenching the phone out of John's hand and pressed the receiver to its mouth. John's eyes widened even further when the Terminator did a spot on impersonation of his voice.

"I'm here, Janelle. I'm fine."

"John, please, just tell me where you are."

The Terminator pulled away and spoke to John.

"What is the dog's name?"

"Max."

The Terminator picked up the phone again and spoke.

"Hey Janelle, what's wrong with Wolfie? I can hear him barking. Is he all right?"

"Wolfie's fine, honey. Wolfie's just fine. Where are you?"

The Terminator hung up the phone and turned back to the stunned boy.

"Your foster parents are dead. Let's go."

"What!? No, they had to have…"

"They are dead, John."

John shook his head and stood there, frozen, watching the Terminator walk away before he slowly followed the machine.

"Where do we go now?"

"We need to find a way to draw its attention."

"It's all the way in Los Angeles though. This is our chance to run away for good! If we take it then we won't have to fight it!"

"It will not stop until you are dead, John Connor. Now we will drive back to Los Angeles and finish the T-1000."


	14. A Simple Tech Company

**Chapter 14: A Simple Tech Company**

 **August 13th, 1995**

 **10:40 A.M.**

 **Fremont, California**

—

John Connor sat in the front seat, looking out the front window, waiting for his mother to return from the store. The Terminator's eyes were constantly scanning over everything around them. It was safe to say that he wasn't good at small talk. John turned to the Terminator and propped his leg up on the dashboard of the car.

"What's up?"

The Terminator's eyes stayed locked ahead, studying the pedestrians as they passed by.

"The sky is up."

John chuckled slightly, brushing his dark bangs out of his face.

"No, that's just an expression. It's like saying 'how are you doing' or something like that."

"Affirmative."

John shook his head quickly and sat straight up in his seat, moving his hands to make it seem more important.

"No, no, no. Okay. You gotta listen to the way people talk. You don't say 'affirmative' or some crap like that. You say, 'no problemo'. And if someone comes on to you with an attitude, you say 'eat me'. And if you want to shine them on, it's 'hasta la vista, baby'."

"Hasta la vista, baby."

"Yeah but later, metal-head. And if someone gets upset you say, 'chill out'! Or you can do combinations."

"Chill out, metal-head."

John grinned and nodded.

"See, you're getting it! Another word you can use instead of 'affirmative' is 'no problemo'. But that's just the clean stuff. There are other words you could say but I'm not allowed to say them. Mom gets pretty crazy about it… but don't tell her I said that!"

The Terminator looked back at John and spoke coldly.

"No problemo."

"Yeah! That's it! Alright now, high five!"

The Terminator looked at the boy with a blank stare and John smiled as he grabbed the Terminator's wrist and pulled it out into the air.

"When someone says high five, you put your hand out like this and clap them together. Like this. See? It's easy.

John held out his hand and nodded.

"Now you try. It's just like I showed you before."

The Terminator drew its hand back and slapped John's. John flashed a painful smile but quickly grimaced with pain. He turned his face away from the machine and gasped.

"Ow… okay. I think we're done with that."

John shook his hand furiously trying to forget about the pain. He stayed silent as his mother jumped into the car, tossing the bags in his lap. He sat up with surprise and stared back at her.

"Are you okay?"

The Connors' eyes locked for a moment as they both stared at each other, confused. Sarah nodded slowly as she put on a black leather jacket.

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

John turned back around in his seat and looked through the bags quickly, grinning as he pulled out a package of Lunchables.

"Sweet!"

He quickly opened it and began eating while Sarah finished changing in the backseat and fixed her ponytail. Once she was finished, she let out a quick sigh and looked at the Terminator.

"So… I've always wondered. How does Cyberdyne Systems go from a simple tech company to creating a worldwide war?

The Terminator started the car and began speaking as they drove out of the parking lot.

"In three years, Cyberdyne Systems will become the largest supplier of military computer systems. All stealth bombers are upgraded with Cyberdyne computers, becoming fully unmanned."

John interrupted with a mouth full of food, earning a disapproving look from his mother in the back.

"That's great."

"Afterwards, they fly with a perfect operational record."

"That's even better."

Sarah leaned forward and slapped her son's shoulder.

"Shut up and eat. Let the machine do the talking."

"Okay, okay!"

Sarah turned her attention back to the Terminator.

"Continue."

"The Skynet Funding Bill has already passed. The system goes online on August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 A.M. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug."

Sarah folded her arms across her chest, nodding slowly.

"Skynet fights back."

"Yes. It launches its missiles against the targets in Russia."

John quickly swallowed his food and looked at the Terminator.

"Why attack Russia? Aren't they our friends now?"

"Because Skynet knows that the Russian counterattack will eliminate its enemies over here."

John nodded slowly, sitting up straight in his seat.

"Smart."

Sarah motioned for John to pass her the shopping bags and spoke as he passed them back.

"And who is the mastermind behind all of this?"

"The owner and creator of Cyberdyne Systems is Carol Pointe. The creator of Skynet and the Terminators is Miles Dyson."

John's eyebrows furrowed.

"Carol Pointe? That's kind of a weird name…"

"Evidence suggests that Carol Pointe is a Terminator but the Human Resistance is not entirely certain."

Sarah instantly stopped what she was doing and looked up at the Terminator with surprise and anger evident in her expression.

"Let me make sure I heard you right. Did you say that Carol Pointe, the owner and creator of Cyberdyne Systems, here and now, is a Terminator?"

"Evidence suggests so."

Sarah started to curse but closed her mouth and drew in a slow breath.

"So now we have to fight Skynet before it's even technically online. Is that why it's moving so fast… because of her?"

"Yes."

The Terminator pulled off the highway to a nearly empty RV park and parked the car next to a few picnic tables. The moment they stopped, John jumped out of the car to stretch his legs while Sarah stayed behind. The Terminator moved to leave but Sarah grabbed its shoulder, stopping it.

"Figure out where Dyson lives. I'm going to pay him a visit tonight and you're staying here with John. He can't know. Understand?"

The Terminator gave a horrible grin.

"No problemo."

Sarah rolled her eyes and cringed, getting out of the car as quickly as possible.


	15. Interrogating Miles Dyson

**Chapter 15: Interrogating Miles Dyson**

 **August 13th, 1995**

 **9:27 P.M.**

 **Fremont, California**

—

"Where are you going, mom?"

Sarah Connor shoved her black bag of guns into the backseat and ignored John's cries as he watched her, confused.

"I have to take care of something."

"What do you mean? You can't leave us here without a car."

"I'll be back before you know it."

Sarah slammed her door shut and started the car quickly, speeding out of the park as fast as she could so that John wouldn't run after her. Her mind raced with the thought of what she would do as she sped toward the Dyson's residence. She had come fully prepared for a fight with a sniper, a pistol, and she was dressed in all black plus combat boots, proving her shopping trip had been successful. She drew in a deep breath as she parked across the street and ran to the woods for cover.

She ran around the back of the house until she found a conveniently placed pillar and rested her sniper on it, setting everything up. She set the scope and looked through it. Miles Dyson was sitting at a desk with his head buried in the computer screen. Sarah's finger hovered over the trigger as she aimed the bullet right for his back. She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to do it, but eventually wrapped her mind around it and prepared to fire.

Sarah shot the moment he moved down to pick something up, breaking his computer. He immediately took cover and Sarah continued to fire several shots in the office, hoping one would hit him. She didn't want to kill him but she did want him to fear her. She pulled away from the gun and shoved it in her bag. She pulled the pistol out of the back of her pants and began walking toward the house, hearing Miles shout at his wife.

She walked past the pool, searching for any sign of movement but couldn't find it. But the moment she climbed into the house, Miles ran. She began to walk faster and fired a shot as he turned the corner. She drew in a deep breath as she fired another shot, hearing him cry out in pain as it hit his right shoulder. He fell to the ground and Sarah heard a little boy scream.

"Daddy!"

"Oh Danny!"

Sarah kept her gun trained on the man but swiveled it to his wife as she knelt by her husband's side with tears in her eyes.

"Nobody move!"

The little boy cried out as he sat next to his father.

"Don't hurt my daddy!"

Both Miles' wife and son stayed as still as they could as they propped Miles up. Miles weakly pulled his son away from him as he gasped in pain.

"Just… just let them go."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! It's all your fault!"

Miles' face furrowed in confusion and pain.

"What?"

Sarah shook her head, staring straight into his brown eyes.

"I'm not gonna let you do it."

Sarah gasped as her finger hovered over the trigger. She had him right where she wanted him. She could kill him now and get it over with. But her eyes shifted to his wife and son and Sarah instantly felt sick to her stomach. Miles gasped with pain as blood stained his right shoulder, begging her not to do it with his eyes. Tears blurred in Sarah's eyes as she thought of all the hatred she had for the machines but she had acted just like them.

She slowly drew away, letting her gun fall, as she stared at the ground weakly. Sarah put her hand out toward Miles saying that it was okay as she backed away, sobbing. She walked back until she reached one of the walls and gasped, slowly falling to her knees. She watched with despair as Miles' wife held him, crying and keeping her son back at the same time. She couldn't believe what she was about to have done. She stared ahead feeling numb, not recognizing her son's voice from the front of the house.

"Shoot, we're too late!"

She heard the door bust open and the Terminator's boots against the floor but she was still in shock. John ran into the room, looking at the Dyson family, and pointed.

"Check them."

John then knelt down next to his mother and took her hat off.

"Look at me, mom. Are you hurt? Look at me."

Sarah shook her head slowly as she cried softly, staring into her son's eyes.

"I almost… I almost…"

Sarah drew in a breath only to find she didn't have one and John immediately leapt forward, wrapping her in his arms.

"It'll be okay. It'll be okay. We'll figure something out. Okay? We always do. I promise."

"You… you came here to stop me."

John replied softly, not knowing whether she would be angry or glad.

"Yeah, I did."

"I love you, John."

Tears blurred in John's eyes as he looked over his broken mother.

"I always have."

John hugged her again, speaking softly.

"I know, mom."

John slowly drew away from his mother with a small smile and walked over to where the Terminator was instructing Miles' wife to stop the bleeding. John looked over the bullet wound and winced, looking at the expressions on all the Dyson's faces. Miles looked over the boy and the tall man and gasped.

"Who are you people?"

John glanced at the Terminator waiting for it to explain but the machine said nothing. John licked his lips nervously but stood tall like his mother would as he spoke.

"We're here because we need your help. I'm John Connor. That's my mother, Sarah Connor. And this guy right here… is the Terminator. You know… the same kind of machine that you and Carol Pointe are currently building at Cyberdyne Systems. Well, we're here to talk with you about Skynet. As you may see, it's a life or death matter."


	16. Skynet Knows

**Chapter 16: Skynet Knows**

John Connor folded his arms across his chest as he sat next to Miles Dyson, continuing to question the man.

"Whose idea was it to create Skynet?"

"It was Carol Pointe's idea. She is the owner of Cyberdyne Systems. She wanted to create a computer system that would change the world… so that's what we're doing. How… how do you know about this?"

John pointed at the machine, trying not to lose his patience with the man.

"I told you already. He's a Terminator."

Miles shook his head slowly.

"It's impossible. We haven't finished making the prototype yet."

"No, you haven't. But you did figure out how to reverse engineer the damaged CPU and the metal arm from the Terminator that tried to kill my mother back in 1984. Why?"

Miles shrugged his left shoulder slightly as he looked nervously between Sarah and the Terminator before looking back at John.

"The technology is stunning. Cyberdyne was failing and Carol knew that it would be our saving grace."

A moment of silence passed between them before Sarah spoke.

"What do you know about Carol Pointe?"

"I know she's surprisingly young. She started Cyberdyne Systems from scratch and now we're about to be one of the nation's leading tech companies. She understands computers in a way that most people could never comprehend. She's smart… and she will rebuild the future."

Sarah cast a sideways glance at the Terminator before she turned back to Miles.

"You know all about the future war, don't you? You already know that Skynet kills 3 billion people and launches a 30 year war on humans. And I'm guessing that means you already know that time travel is not only possible, but that you can control it. But despite Skynet being all-powerful, you still lose."

Miles shook his head slowly as he began to speak a little colder.

"The past is the past now, Sarah. Everything is changing faster than it did before."

"And that explains why the T-1000 is hunting us down?"

"It's not hunting you down."

Miles glanced quickly at John before he looked back at Sarah.

"It's hunting him."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Every Terminator is programmed with a mission given to it by Skynet."

Sarah leaned forward and gripped the collar of Miles' shirt, pulling the man close to her.

"You didn't have to do anything at all. Did you, Dyson? All you had to do was spout off some great review about the while Skynet creates itself. Is that how it works?"

"Yes. Skynet has already done it before. This time it just wants to work more effectively."

"Where does Carol Pointe come in?"

"I don't know."

Sarah grit her teeth and shook the man in her anger.

"What do you mean you don't know!? How can you not know!?"

"Because that's what I was told to do… don't ask questions about it and we'll be safe from those killers."

Miles' wife glanced between her husband and Sarah with wide eyes full of surprise.

"Miles…"

Sarah shook her head slowly.

"How can you be okay with that? Skynet is going to kill 3 billion people moments after it is activated and will destroy the world! It doesn't matter what side you are on, Dyson. Skynet will kill you and your family."

"You think you can do better? Weak humans fighting invincible machines?"

"They're not invincible."

"The T-1000 almost is. And that's not the only model Skynet is making! There's only one thing that can kill it and you don't have the time to find it."

Sarah's eyes shifted to her son. He was rubbing his fingers together like he always did when he was nervous about something, staring intensely at the ground in front of him. Sarah drew in a deep breath before she angrily turned back to Miles.

"You're a coward."

"The T-1000 is coming and you don't have a way to defeat it. It will kill John Connor."

Sarah let out a cry of rage as she punched Miles in the face, blocking out the pain.

"Why is Skynet trying to kill my son!?"

"Because that's how it will beat you! In the last timeline, you didn't have any emotional ties to anyone… now you do. John is an anomaly. He hasn't existed before this time. Therefore, Skynet doesn't know what he is going to do. But Skynet knows what you are capable of doing and it wants to stop you any way it can. You've balanced your entire life on your son and Skynet knows that. That's why it's trying to take it away from you. Skynet finally figured out a way to defeat you. And when you go down, the Human Resistance has fewer chances of uprising, and Skynet will win."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something but John spoke before she could.

"That's not true. There will always be people who will resist because they don't want to die. If Skynet thinks that it can win the war by killing me or my mother, it's wrong. Even if we are gone, there will always be someone to fight. The only difference is that they wouldn't have known about it before it happened."

Miles slowly turned his head to John and smiled sadly, looking back at Sarah.

"He's smart."

Miles stared at the ground for a few seconds before he looked back between the three intruders.

"You think I have a bigger part in this than I really do. I don't want any of this to happen… but I can't stop it. Skynet is already active and it's giving it everything it's got. It would be a damn miracle if you could stop what's coming."

Sarah released Miles from her grip and grabbed her pistol, shoving it back in her pocket.

"You can tell Skynet that John and I aren't going down that quickly. Your killer robot won't be taking my son from me any time soon. And together, we're going to bring it one hell of a dogfight until we win."

Miles shook his head slowly.

"I hope you're right."

Sarah rose to her feet and turned to leave but Miles said one more thing.

"Who would've thought Sarah Connor would be working with a machine."

Sarah locked eyes with Miles for a few harsh seconds before she turned her back.

"Let's go, John."


	17. In The Head

**Chapter 17: In The Head**

The car ride was silent for the first few moments as they drove away from the Dyson's home. Sarah's mind was racing with thoughts that were going so fast that she was struggling to keep up with them. After a series of thoughts, she turned to look at the Terminator.

"Do you have any connection with Skynet?"

"No. The Human Resistance reprograms all new machines."

"Could Skynet take control again?"

"It is possible."

Sarah drew in a slow breath, running a hand through her blonde hair. As they began to drive back to the RV park, they heard sirens going off. John immediately turned in his seat to look out the back of the car to see one police car closing in on them. The Terminator pressed on the gas pedal quickly and Sarah braced herself for a chase.

"Dyson called the cops."

Sarah instinctively pulled her pistol out and opened it to find she didn't have any ammo. John recognized and quickly opened the box next to him and handed her more.

"Where do we go now?"

"I don't know, John. But we're about to figure it out."

"What if it's the machine?"

Sarah cocked her gun and replied briskly.

"Then we do what we always do… we fight."

The light ahead of them turned yellow and the Terminator kept the speed up as the light hit red. John let out a small cry of surprise as they tore through the intersection, nearly hitting another car. The police sirens wailed behind them and Sarah glanced to see a car in almost every direction. John shook his head with disbelief as he held onto her seat and the large box.

"Man, they sent all of them!"

Sarah noticed one car on the opposite side of the road speeding toward them faster than the others and shouted.

"Duck, John!"

John obeyed his mother and laid his head down on the seat, gripping the two seats in front of him as the Terminator began weaving through traffic. Sarah ducked as well as bullets ripped through the front of the car. She glanced worriedly at the Terminator before she got an idea.

"We need to switch places!"

"I do not understand!"

"Climb in the back with John, now!"

"It is highly illogical!"

Sarah set her gun down on the seat and moved so that she was kneeling on her seat, growling with frustration.

"Just do it!"

The Terminator moved its hands and Sarah slammed her's down and tried to keep the car steady as the Terminator climbed into the back. The car instantly slowed one he left and Sarah grit her teeth as she jumped into the driver's seat, slamming her foot down on the gas pedal. She then grabbed her pistol and tossed into John's lap, swerving to the left as she ran through a red light.

"Damn it! This piece of junk won't go any faster!"

John replied from the back seat.

"What's the top speed!?"

"65!"

"I could get out and run faster than this!"

Sarah ignored her son's comment and continued to sweep the road with her eyes, trying to make as little mistakes as possible. She drew in a deep breath and took another left, avoiding the highway. She quickly checked all her mirrors before she moved to the far left lane, trying to urge the car to go faster but it refused. Sarah's heart began to beat faster as the car began to shudder from the effort. She cursed under her breath and searched for the nearest exit.

As the sirens and lights flashed she felt herself begin to get dragged into old memories but quickly pushed them aside, trying to focus on the task ahead of her. Sarah found the nearest exit and swerved all the way to the right lane, hitting another car's bumper, and fearfully looked down at the gauges.

"Of course! The car is dying!"

Sarah's eyes darted between the road and the speedometer as she watched their speed rapidly decline. One of the police cars sped close to them and Sarah's heart stopped with fear as she heard gun shots. She heard a cry of pain and nearly drove the car off the road as she watched a bullet pass through the passenger's seat, hitting the air bag. She turned back to see John clutching his arm with gritted teeth. Sarah instantly stood up in her seat and grabbed John's uninjured arm, guiding him to the passenger's seat. John slid in quickly, gasping, and Sarah kept one hand out in front of him as she continued to move through traffic.

The Terminator fired off several shots as the car moved from side to side. Sarah slammed on the brakes at the first sight of an overpass and drew in a harsh breath as she swerved the car so she wouldn't miss the exit. She could hear the car groan under her and she prayed that it would last long enough for them to get out. A few more bullets were shot before Sarah managed to maneuver the car out of the way out of the cops. The car started shuddering and Sarah's eyes worriedly glanced between the road to find a place to stop and her son.

Sarah noticed the first auto parts shop and stopped the car, turning around to shout at the machine.

"Find us somewhere to hide!"

The Terminator nodded and stepped out of the car and around the building. While they waited for the machine to return, Sarah ducked down in her seat, motioning for John to do the same. She looked over him worriedly and whispered.

"What happened?"

"I'm okay."

"What happened, John?"

"I… I think it was a bullet. It… it grazed my left arm."

Sarah held out her hand.

"Let me see."

John winced slightly as he extended his arm, letting her look at it. She slowly helped him take off the camo jacket and John could see a long red line going along his arm. He grit his teeth, gasping.

"It stings."

"I know."

Sarah let his arm go and looked straight into his pale green eyes.

"How did it happen?"

"The T-1000 was shooting at us."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But it had deadly accuracy. It hit the Terminator in the head."

Chills ran down Sarah's spine at his comment and looked away quickly, pursing her lips. John noticed the look and spoke quickly.

"Right after he got shot; the Terminator pushed me down on the seat. I tried to move to the floor but he was pushing down on me so hard I couldn't move. Then when the bullets came, it got me."

Sarah carefully peeked up to see the Terminator standing in front of a shed a couple feet away. She sat up, keeping John down, and sped to the shed. She threw the car into park and then jumped out of the car with her son right behind her. The Terminator then led them to a mechanic's shop, shattering the glass and letting the Connors inside. Sarah kept her eyes trained on the machine the entire way, wondering if the bullet in its head was going to be a problem.


	18. Fight Back

**Chapter 18: Fight Back**

Sarah watched as the machine walked around the room, gathering materials to help fix it. She locked her eyes onto the Terminator, waiting for the machine to slip up again so it could give her a reason to kill it. She hated being close to it and wasn't fond of the thought that its chip could be damaged now. Sarah placed a hand on John's shoulder whispering for him to stay where he was as she slid her pistol in the back of her pants. She slowly walked over to the machine and watched it work.

John had been right. The Terminator had been shot in the head and it wasn't a pretty sight. She was glad that she had told John to stay where he was. He didn't need to see that kind of thing… not yet. The Terminator used a set of pliers to get the bullet out of its metal skull and Sarah glanced away once she felt sick to her stomach. She eyed the hammer off to the side, wanting to smash its chip now before it could do anything more… and she realized quickly that she should have trusted her instincts.

One of the Terminator's hands shot out and wrapped itself around Sarah's throat. She let out a strangled cry before the oxygen was slowly sucked out of her. She saw black spots dancing in front of her eyes almost instantly and reached for the hammer. Sarah could feel all the strength begin to leave her as she gripped her fingers around the hammer, hearing John shout with fear. Sarah brought the hammer and slammed it down on the machine's head as hard as she could. The moment she felt its fingers loosening, she pounded on it three more times before it finally released her.

Sarah fell to the ground, coughing and wheezing as John ran to her side. He looked between her and the machine with frightened eyes. Sarah drew in a shaky breath and pushed herself to her feet, screaming with her hoarse voice.

"What the hell was that!?"

The Terminator turned away from the Connors and back to the mirror as it spoke in a crackled voice.

"System… malfunction. I… apol… apologize."

Sarah shook her head slowly but stopped and massaged her aching throat.

"Put the pliers down."

The machine obeyed and Sarah rushed forward, trying to keep her cool despite the anger and fear trapped inside her.

"What are you doing, mom?"

"Maintenance. That shot to the head damaged something and we've got to figure out where it is and fix it."

John nodded slowly and licked his lisp nervously as he inched closer to the machine. Sarah instructed him to grab one of the lights and hold it above the machine's head. Sarah spoke coldly to the Terminator as she grabbed a knife.

"Where is your chip?"

"Towards the back of my head."

Sarah drew in a shaky breath, hesitating to cut into the machine's skin. She wouldn't admit it but she was queasy at the sight of torn flesh and dark blood. She let out the breath slowly and dug into the Terminator's head, pulling back the flesh as quickly as she could. The metal skull glinted off of the light and she listened to the machine's instructions.

"Carefully open the canister."

Sarah did as it said and grabbed the pliers, gripping the chip and wrenching it out of the machine's head. She heard a small whirring sound until it stopped and the machine froze. John set the light down off to the side and stepped in front of the machine. He snapped his fingers and waved his hand in front of its face but it did not respond. John then moved the Terminator's arm and smiled slightly as it stayed in the middle of the air. Sarah took that opportunity to take care of the rest of the business.

Sarah held the chip close to her heart, thinking about how John would feel about what she was going to do and closed her eyes, drawing in another deep breath. She set the chip down on a metal table nearby and quietly grabbed the closest mallet. John had almost gotten shot and she could have been killed by that machine. She knew that it was malfunctioning but she couldn't stand looking at it any longer. The only thoughts that came into her mind was everything that happened to Kyle in 1984 and Sarah wouldn't let that happen again.

She kept her back to her son, barely hearing him speak.

"Can you see the pin switch?"

Sarah drew the mallet back, ready to crush the machine's chip.

"NO, NO!"

Sarah grit her teeth and threw the mallet down, watching with surprise as John placed his hands over the chip. John flinched expecting the mallet to crush his fingers but Sarah quickly pulled it away, staring at him angrily with her wide blue eyes. Sarah stared straight into his eyes as she spoke harshly between heavy breaths.

"Out of my way, John."

"Don't kill him…"

Sarah's jaw set as she spoke venomously.

" _It,_ John. Not him _, it_."

John drew in a quick breath and replied with the same emphasis as his mother had.

"Okay, _it_. But we need _it_."

Sarah lowered the mallet, waiting for John to move.

"Listen to me. You listen! We are better off on our own."

John stood up straighter, refusing to move his hands away from the chip. He searched her eyes for some kind of weakness but Sarah refused to let him in.

"But he is the only proof we have, of the future, and the war and all that!"

"Maybe…"

Sarah looked back toward the machine with hatred.

"I don't trust it."

"But he's my friend, alright!?"

Sarah shook her head slowly and leaned down so she was at John's level.

"You don't know what it's like to try to hunt and kill one of these things. And if something goes wrong this could be our last chance."

Sarah brought the mallet back again, shouting.

"So… MOVE!"

John shook his head quickly as he kept his hands over the chip, shouting back.

"Look mom… if I'm ever supposed to be this great military leader you want me to be then maybe you should start listening to my leadership ideas ONCE IN AWHILE!"

Sarah stared straight into her son's hard green eyes as he angrily spoke the last few words.

"Because if my own mother won't, how do you expect anyone else to?"

John stared at her a few seconds more before he drew away slowly, breathing heavily. Sarah watched him step back and grit her teeth, slamming the mallet down on the metal table a few inches away from the Terminator's chip. John let out a shaky breath as he looked at his mother's angry eyes with a hint of fear. Sarah placed the mallet down and let out a slow breath, not meeting John's eyes.

"Alright, play it your way."

Sarah stepped away from the table and turned her back to her son, filled with rage as she stared at the Terminator. She heard John grab the chip and watched as he walked over to it.

—–

 _Diagnostics: operational. System Online. Terminator Model-800: active._

The Terminator's eyes opened slowly and immediately noticed John placing everything back on its head.

"Was there a problem?"

John shook his head.

"No, not at all."

John looked back at his mother who still looked extremely angry but she was starting to settle down. John already regretted yelling back at his mother but he was willing to take his chances. He hoped he was right.


	19. Cyberdyne Systems

**Chapter 19: Cyberdyne Systems**

 **10:30 P.M.**

 **Fremont, California**

—

John winced slightly as he pulled his camo jacket back over his shoulders, feeling it graze the burn. He drew in a slow breath as he looked between the Terminator and his mother. They were conversing back and forth about what to do but John wasn't listening. He waited patiently until they both turned to him and he knew he had missed something. John smiled sheepishly and Sarah stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

"We're going to Cyberdyne Systems to retrieve the parts from the machine in 1984. Maybe then we can halt their progress. The Terminator is going to find the closest shop and gather some more guns before we go."

John nodded slowly, watching as the Terminator walked out of the room before he looked back at his mother. Sarah's arms were folded across her chest as she stopped in front of him. John slid off of the table and drew in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I just didn't want you to destroy hi… it. We still need it."

Sarah nodded slowly and John began to worry about the silence but it was only for a little while.

"How's your arm?"

"It's okay but it still stings a little."

"I don't know what's going to happen at Cyberdyne so just… be careful. Stay with the Terminator, okay?"

John's eyebrows furrowed for a second before he smiled.

"You want me to stay with the machine?"

"Don't make this worse, John."

John nodded slowly as he walked past her, trying to fight the grin on his face at the irony of it all.

—

 **11:10 P.M.**

 **Cyberdyne Systems**

 **Sunnyvale, California**

—

John Connor drew in a deep breath as they drove up to the tech company that they should have been avoiding. As the Terminator and his mother talked about how to get inside, John stared at the building, wondering why they wanted to eventually destroy the world. He knew that part of it was their computer, Skynet, but he didn't understand why they would want to create something so powerful. They quickly passed the company and parked discreetly off to the side of it as they finalized the plan.

Sarah strapped a belt of ammo around her waist and John looked over all the guns, asking which one she wanted. She took a pistol and a Remington 870 shotgun and loaded then quickly. Then she strapped on a bulletproof vest and listened to the Terminator's instructions.

"You will keep the guards out of the hallway while John and I head for the computer."

"Why am I doing the fighting and not you?"

"I will be helping you once John is in the room."

"Okay. You ready, John?"

John nodded nervously as he brushed his bangs out of his face.

"I guess."

Sarah turned around in her seat and nodded at the Terminator. The machine backed out onto the road and they turned left, driving toward the gates of Cyberdyne Systems. John could see two guards at the security checkpoint looking strangely at the pair and raised their guns. John made sure his seat belt was buckled tight and ducked down as the guards fired at them but quickly jumped out of the way as the car crashed through the metal gates. The car bounced as it drove over it and accelerated toward the glass doors of the lobby.

Glass shattered around them as they crashed into the lobby. Red lights flashed and alarms immediately blared throughout the building. The Terminator quickly stepped out of the car as Sarah, both gripping their shotguns. John jumped out shortly after, gripping his backpack straps nervously. The Terminator quickly shot the elevator controls and set off the sprinkler system to limit mobility for the security guards. Then the three of them ran for the stairs. John skipped two at a time as the Terminator led them up to the third floor. John stopped at the plaque and quickly read over the words.

 _Mimetic Poly-Alloy Research & Development_

 _Sub Levels 4-6 ~ Authorized Personnel Only_

 _Cybernetic Testing & Research_

 _Restricted Access_

 _Security Clearance Required_

The Terminator turned John to the left.

"Go to Cybernetic Testing & Research. Up one more floor. Room 107B."

"But it says restricted access and security clearance required. How am I supposed to get in?"

Sarah responded by pushing her son forward.

"GO!"

John ran up the next set of stairs and stopped at the entrance to the next hallway. The Terminator looked around the corner and cocked its shotgun. John gripped the Terminator's arm, pulling it away from the hallway, and struggled to shout over the alarms.

"You promised!"

The Terminator gave the boy a lopsided smile.

"Trust me."

John nodded and pressed his back against the wall as the Terminator stepped out into the center. The security guards shot several bullets, hitting the machine but not having an effect. The Terminator shot the guards' legs out from under them one by one, revolving its gun to cock it every time. The Terminator reached over and gripped John's arm, dragging him to the edge of the wall.

"Run."

John stared at the machine with wide eyes.

"What!?"

"Run through them. The computer bay is at the end of the hallway, last room on the left, 107B."

John nodded quickly, feeling his heart race inside of him at the thought of what he was going to do. The Terminator quickly shot out the lights above them and pushed John into the hallway. John ran as fast as he could in the middle, trying to avoid whatever was waiting in the darkness. He let out a sharp breath as fell onto the ground, hitting his face on the floor hard. He instantly tasted blood in his mouth and scrambled to his feet, running into the end of the hallway. He turned the left and tried to find where the door was, hearing gun shots and cries of pain in front of him.

John found the handle and opened it quickly, slamming it shut behind him. He let out a deep breath and placed a hand over his racing heart. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to block out the fear inside him before he got back to his mission. John turned and smiled softly when he saw the Terminator's metal arm along with its damaged chip in glass cases. He knocked them off of the shelf and the glass cases shattered. John grabbed them and bent down on the ground, opening his backpack with shaky hands.

He licked his lips nervously as he shoved them in, struggling to shut it. He then slid the backpack onto his shoulders and rose to his feet, waiting for the Terminator to come in. He heard the door open and turned toward it.

"Man, if you had taken any longer I would have…"

John stopped instantly, watching a woman in a blue suit with long, curly brown hair in a tight bun close the door behind her. John's heart stopped as she cocked the pistol in her hand, staring at him with cold blue eyes.

"Been afraid it was someone else?"


	20. Carol Pointe

**Chapter 20: Carol Pointe**

To be honest, she had been expecting more from John Connor. She stayed in front of the door, looking over the frightened boy. His pale green eyes were wide and she could tell that he was trying to keep his composure but that she could easily break him. She might have looked pretty on the outside with her neat brown bun at the back of her head, blue dress suit, and piercing blue eyes but she was cold. She kept her gun trained on the boy as she stepped forward, glancing at the bulge in his backpack. John shifted uncomfortably, staring straight at the barrel of the gun as she drew closer. She kept her finger on the trigger, making the act look more real, and spoke coldly.

"And what do you think you're doing, John Connor?"

She could see the boy shudder with fear despite his best efforts to hide it but the look on face told her everything. He instinctively shifted his left foot back but there was no way out except the way he had come in through. He gulped nervously before he spoke softly, glancing quickly between the gun and her blue eyes.

"How… how do you know my name?"

"I've been looking forward to meeting you ever since the government found out your mother was pregnant when she fled to Mexico."

John recoiled slightly as his face furrowed with confusion.

"How do you know about that?"

"When you're a part of the nation's most trusted technology company, you have friends in high places. But I wasn't going to go out and find you. I had to wait until you would come here. And in your mother's case, I knew you would be here soon… I just thought you would be a little older."

John drew in a shaky breath but seemed to be gaining confidence, standing up straighter.

"You know for someone who knows so much about me, I can't imagine why you would want to meet me. You sent the T-1000 to kill me."

"I didn't send the T-1000. Skynet did."

"Who are you then?"

She smiled slightly as she took another step forward.

"I'm Carol Pointe."

John's eyes quickly widened once more and he took a step back, only to back himself into the wall. He gasped as he looked back at her with fear.

"You… you own Cyberdyne?"

"Yes, I do."

Carol cocked her head to the left as she watched him still eyeing the gun she was pointing at him. He stared straight at the pistol and spoke as if his life depended on it. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead as he spoke.

"Then you know what it's going to do. You can change the future. You can stop Skynet now before it kills anyone else and starts the war."

"I thought you might say something like that. After all, you are mommy's boy."

Carol lowered the gun, pointing it directly at his heart, immediately causing John to stiffen.

"Skynet warned me about you. It said that you were dangerous and needed to be disposed of but that's just because Skynet doesn't like it when things change. I, however, like the idea of having another player in the game. It makes things interesting. You haven't existed before this timeline so who knows what you are going to do? There is so much potential for you."

John grit his teeth, staring warily at the gun.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it."

"I'm not going to kill you… and neither is the T-1000."

Carol ignored the confused look on the boy's face and continued.

"There is only one way to destroy the T-1000 and that is to melt it. There's a steel mill five miles away from here. I can't guarantee that you won't be shot or killed on the way there but if you can make it, you will have a better chance at living another day."

John stared into her eyes as he thought over what she had said, trying to think of his own response. When he did gather his thoughts, he spoke apprehensively, furiously tapping his index finger against his leg.

"Why should I believe anything you say? You're the enemy."

"Because I don't want you dead yet, John, I want to fight you. Skynet is wary of who could grow up to be but I am excited. Machines and humans have been at war across several timelines and every time it is different than the last. And I can tell by the harsh look in your frightened eyes that you are I are going to be good enemies in the future."

"I don't want to fight."

Carol leaned in closer and spoke harshly.

"Your whole life has been and will be a fight. Trust me, John; you're not dying any time soon… not while I'm around. You can take that arm and the CPU but I need you to do something for me first."

A slow smile grew on her face as she pulled the gun away from a moment. He looked at her, afraid of what she was going to do or say and she liked having that power. Carol made her decision quickly and gripped his arm, pulling him toward her. Then she pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of his head, feeling him begin to tremble with fear. He drew in a sharp breath and held it, afraid it would be his last. Carol bent down and spoke softly into his ear.

"I am not here to help you, John. I cannot guarantee you will live… but if you do, just know that we are not friends. I am your enemy and I don't have any patience or mercy for people who mess up my plans. So you better be ready for one hell of a fight."

Carol then shoved him forward toward the door and she opened it with a smile.


	21. Drive

**Chapter 21: Drive**

Sarah Connor ran to the hallway, taking cover behind one of the walls as bullets pounded against it. She quickly reloaded her gun and slid to the other side of the hallway, praying she wouldn't get killed. Once she made it past that obstacle, she took the stairs up to third floor, fighting people on her way up. She grit her teeth and pushed forward, ducking for cover as soon as she could. Sarah blew some of her long blonde hair out of her face and drew in a slow breath, trying to calm her racing heart down. She cocked her gun and quickly turned to the hallway and froze.

A woman in a blue suit with brown hair and blue eyes was holding a gun to her son's head. Sarah instantly felt a chill rip down her spine and felt anger surge inside her as she noticed a tear fall down his cheek. The woman had her arm around him so he wouldn't move and was pressing the loaded pistol against his head. Sarah lowered her gun and stepped forward, staring at the woman with rage. But before she could speak the woman did so coldly.

"Put your gun on the ground slowly and kick it to me."

Sarah didn't hesitate and slowly bent down to the ground, setting it there before she gently kicked it over there. The woman watched her every move, not taking a second glance at the gun as she continued to speak.

"I knew you'd come here but you were foolish to come with John."

Sarah watched with surprise and suspicion as the woman let go of John and pushed him toward his mother. Sarah rushed forward and grabbed John's arm pulling him behind her.

"I couldn't leave him behind by himself."

"The war is coming and you aren't ready for it. I suggest you start taking things seriously."

Sarah pointed her finger at the woman.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. You are a traitor to your own kind!"

"I wish there was another way but there isn't it. Your son and I will fight a long war."

"Not if I have anything to do about it."

"You can't do anything about it if you're dead, Sarah Connor. You have two choices. You can leave Cyberdyne Systems and live on the run, teaching John everything you have ever learned. Or you can stay and get yourselves killed by the T-1000. John knows how to destroy it and I suggest you do it quickly."

Sarah shook her head with disbelief, her voice tipped with anger and surprise.

"Why the hell are you letting us go? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill us now?"

"I have reasons you cannot comprehend."

"Try me."

"My name is Carol Pointe and I am taking my company back from Skynet's grasp so I can build it for what it's supposed to be. Now leave."

Sarah hesitated to leave but felt John tugging softly on her arm so she turned away from the woman and walked quickly out of the hallway with her son. Once they turned the corner, Sarah wrapped her arms around John, hugging him tight before she pulled away to wipe away his tear.

"Did she hurt you?"

"No."

"Are you okay?"

Sarah could see the fear in his eyes as he nodded slowly, trying to be brave.

"The T-1000 is here fighting the Terminator. We need to leave."

John nodded and Sarah led him back down the stairs, through the lobby, and over the glass shards from the doors and windows they had shattered. Sarah grabbed a gun from a dead security guard on the ground, pushing John in front of her as they ran for the parking lot. She then led him toward an ugly yellow pick-up truck with her new gun held high. The man trying to escape backed away with his hands up and Sarah walked him away, stealing his keys before she hopped into the passenger's seat. John opened the driver's seat and slipped in, glancing at her with confusion. Sarah set her gun along the door of the car and turned to him with surprise.

"What are you waiting for!?"

"I'm driving?"

"Yes, John. I'm a better shot than you so you get to drive."

John took the keys from her hand and turned on the car, pressing down on the gas pedal quickly. As he maneuvered through the parking lot, following his mother's orders, he felt his heart race faster than it had ever before. He swerved onto the main road and glanced nervously at his mother as she shook her head, speaking softly.

"Something's not right."

John's eyes widened and he shouted once he recognized what it was.

"MOM!"

Sarah turned back around in her seat to see a large semi-truck speeding toward them. She could vaguely see the two machines fighting as the T-1000 drove the truck. Sarah turned back and shouted quickly.

"Get out of the way now!"

Sarah gripped the side of her seat, holding onto her gun, as John swerved to the left, out of the path of the truck. Sarah watched from the side mirrors as the Terminator climbed out of the cab and onto the hood of the truck, trying to distract the T-1000 away from their car. It fired a few more shots before it turned and ran off the hood, jumping up in the air. Sarah threw her arm across John as the Terminator landed on the bed of the truck, causing the truck to shudder as it banked to the right.

John scrambled to gain control of the wheel and Sarah helped him straighten it out and shouted back to the Terminator.

"You could have killed us!"

"It worked."

Sarah let out a frustrated sigh and decided not to push any further, looking to see the T-1000 closing in once more. Sarah pointed for John to go left but he remembered what Carol had told him. _The only way to destroy the T-1000 is to melt it._ John ignored his mother's direction and continued to go straight, shouting back to the Terminator.

"Where's the nearest steel mill!?"

Sarah shouted with surprise.

"What!?"

The Terminator looked ahead and spoke briskly as it cocked its gun.

"One left then straight."

John slammed on the break and took the first left, gritting his teeth. The Terminator fired several more shots as they approached the steel mill. The Terminator placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder, capturing her attention.

"Keep straight. Don't move."

Sarah nodded slowly and quickly glanced at John before looking back at the machine.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back."

The Terminator smashed the rest of the back window and climbed back out onto the truck bed, leaping onto the T-1000's truck of liquid nitrogen. The Terminator gripped the mirrors on the driver's side and pulled the truck so that it was leaning on its side and fell. The truck skidded forward, crashing into the sides of the building, too wide to fit through. The Terminator jumped off to the side and watched as the end of the truck hit the back of the Connor's pick-up truck, pushing them forward into one of the metal shafts.

Workers ran around trying to figure out what was going on as the T-1000 stepped out of its truck. The Terminator could see that the shaft had gone straight through the middle of the pick-up truck but could see both John and Sarah trying to move without knocking more debris on them. The Terminator gripped its gun and walked forward, shooting the tank at the back of the T-1000's truck, releasing liquid nitrogen. The T-1000 walked through the cloud of nitrogen but its left foot froze, sticking to the floor.

The T-1000 pushed forward, breaking its foot off but continued to hobble closer as the nitrogen began freezing more. Its other foot stuck and looked at its hand as the frost covered its body. Once it was completely frozen, the Terminator fired its gun, shattering the T-1000 into small pieces. Then the machine turned away and walked toward the pick-up truck to check on the Connors.


	22. Call Him

**Chapter 22: Call Him**

John let out a small groan as he placed a hand on his aching forehead, struggling to see through the large black spots dancing in front of his eyes. He shook his head slowly despite the fact that it was pounding and turned to look at his mother. John instantly felt a rush of adrenaline and moved forward, ducking under the metal shaft to see the dashboard had caved in on her left leg, trapping her. Blood ran down her leg as she pulled against it, whimpering in pain. John quickly slipped out of his side of the car, pushing his bangs away from his eyes and ran to her side.

John flung the door open and glanced quickly to see the Terminator standing behind.

"She's stuck!"

John stepped out of the way to let the machine forward. It placed its hands on the car and pushed it up and away, freeing Sarah. She gasped with pain as she clasped both of her hands on her knee, gritting her teeth. While the Terminator helped Sarah out of the car, John looked back to see vats of molten metal melting the frozen pieces of the T-1000 melting. He turned back to the two and shouted with fear.

"Come on, mom! He's coming back! Hurry!"

The Terminator gripped under Sarah's arms and pulled her out of the car before placing her left arm over its shoulder. John then took her other arm and helped Sarah limp away from the car.

"Come on, mom! You can do it!"

John glanced back to see the pieces form a pile of melted silver metal on the ground. He gasped with fear as a body slowly began to form and stood up, rippling into the police officer's form. The Terminator looked back and let go of Sarah, causing her to wrap her arms around John.

"Go, John. Hurry."

Sarah groaned in pain as she put more weight on the leg, feeling John grip her arm tighter. John grunted as they inched forward. He was trying his best but it just wasn't enough to pull his mother along with him quickly. He could hear the sound of metal fighting metal behind them and kept pushing forward, hoping they could get far away from it. Sarah shook her head slowly and spoke with pain.

"Why does it have to be stairs?"

Sarah grabbed the railing, bending down slowly and pushed John away from her toward the stairs. John went to move back but Sarah shouted at it him angrily.

"I'm not asking you leave. Just go! Go up so you can help me!"

John nodded quickly and took her gun before he gripped his mother's wrist and she did the same. He instantly felt the strain in his fingers and arms but helped pull her up. Sarah grit her teeth in pain but she did as much as she could and hobbled up the stairs, willing herself to reach the top.

—

The T-1000 pushed the Terminator back against the moving machinery, watching as the large metal gear crushed the Terminator's arm. The Terminator tried to pull it out but it was stuck. The T-1000 turned its back to the older model and spotted Sarah and John Connor on a platform. Sarah pushed her son down onto a moving platform and grasped a few chains, pulling them with all the strength that she had. John tried to stop the yellow divider from separating them and shouted desperately.

"It's coming!"

Sarah let go of the chain and grabbed her gun from the ground, cocking it quickly. She fired several shots at the liquid metal Terminator despite the fact she knew it wouldn't do anything. As the machine drew closer, Sarah shot the pulley system that held the chains together and it started, pushing John away from the platform she was on. She struggled to cock and fire the gun as her hands shook violently. As she moved to grab another magazine of ammo from her belt, she dropped the ammo and stared at the machine fearfully.

"Stay away!"

The T-1000 took another step forward and Sarah watched as the machine's index finger morphed into a long knife, plunging it into her left shoulder, going straight through. Sarah cried out in pain and stared at the T-1000 with anger in her teary eyes.

"Call John."

Sarah refused and the T-1000 rotated its finger slowly and she grit her teeth.

"I know this hurts. Call John."

Sarah stared straight into the Terminator's eyes, not willing to give into it. Sweat dropped down her face and into her eyes from the heat. She cringed from the pain and felt her legs begin to buckle, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold herself up much longer. The T-1000 slowly drew out its finger, dripping with her blood and set it up right in between her eyes.

"Call to him."

Sarah tried to ignore the knife and drew in a few shaky breaths.

"No."

She closed her eyes as the T-1000's knife grew longer, knowing this had to be the end. Her heart pounded furiously against her chest and she longed to be with her son. But if she had to die so John could live, she would do it every time. Sarah drew in a shaky breath and held it until she heard a clang beside her. She opened her eyes to see the Terminator fighting the T-1000 off, standing in between her and the killer. Sarah collapsed onto the ground in pain, letting a few tears flow down her cheeks as she thought about what the Terminator had just done for her.

—

The Terminator lifted the T-1000 up and tossed the machine down a few levels before it leaped over the railing, losing its shotgun on the way. The T-1000 landed and the Terminator grabbed its shoulders, picking it up and slamming its body into one of the metal walls. The T-1000 morphed quickly with its back suddenly becoming its front. It punched the Terminator in the face and kicked its legs out from under it. The Terminator tried to steady itself but the T-1000 grabbed a large metal press, crushing it against the Terminator's body.

It brought the press back and struck again, smashing its head. The T-1000 stopped and watched the Terminator crawl forward with one arm, reaching for its fallen shotgun. The T-1000 tore off a pipe from above and thrust it through the Terminator's chest. The machine stiffened and then fell limp as the machine's red eyes dimmed to nothing.


	23. Adios

**Chapter 23:** **Adios**

The platform stopped and dumped John over an edge. He grit his teeth as he landed hard on his side, gasping in pain. John could hear the sound of something crushing something else and crawled toward the nearest enclosed space to hide. He leaned his head down on the ledge and tried to draw in deep breaths as he squeezed his eyes shut. Fear kept his heart pumping furiously and he shook his head slowly, feeling tears blur in his eyes. He cried silently as he sat there, not knowing what to do. He was too afraid to move from the space but knew that his mother was out there alone and needed help. A chill ran down his spine as he heard her call out.

"John! John, please! John, please help me! Someone, help!"

John looked up slowly and crawled out of the space, trying to keep himself together for a little longer. He followed the sound of her voice, walking slowly up two flights of stairs, careful to make as little sound as possible. He brushed his sweaty hair out of his face quickly before he used his sleeves to wipe his eyes. John drew in a shaky breath and gripped his backpack strap with white knuckles as he slowly turned left.

John gasped with surprise as he saw his mother leaning against the metal railing with her left leg and arm covered in dark red blood. Her hair was wet with sweat and hung in her face as she limply held her head up. John hesitated to move forward and watched as she struggled to get up, nearly hitting her head on the railing. Then John knelt by her, taking her uninjured arm and looked over her with fear.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Sarah nodded slowly as she spoke barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine, John."

"JOHN!"

John turned with surprise to see his mother step around the corner, carrying a large gun. John looked between the two unsure of which one was real before he realized that the Sarah he was sitting next to had one silver foot. John moved to get away but the T-1000 reacted quickly, slicing its knife across John's chest. Sarah cried out with rage as she thrust her gun up in the air to cock it and fired it several times. The T-1000 rose to its feet and walked toward Sarah but she continued to shoot it as fast as she could.

As she shot the machine, John laid on the ground, breathing quickly, with one hand over his bleeding chest. The T-1000 had sliced from shoulder to shoulder just above his heart and tears blurred his eyes as he lay there in pain. The T-1000 staggered away from John and backed up against the railing as the shots rippled across its body. It was repairing itself quickly and was just enough to keep it moving.

"Duck."

Sarah turned with surprise to see the Terminator holding a grenade launcher. Sarah shook her head with disbelief as she dropped to the floor, wondering where it had gotten that from. She covered her ears as the Terminator spoke.

"Hasta la vista, baby."

The Terminator pressed down on the trigger and the grenade lodged itself in the T-1000. Sarah watched as the machine exploded, sending a high pitched metal squeal throughout the entire building. Sarah cringed at the grotesque image but kept her eyes locked on the machine. She wanted to see it destroyed with no chance of returning. The Terminator walked forward and pushed the T-1000 over the edge and it fell into the vat of molten metal. Sarah hobbled forward, walking up to the Terminator and leaned over the edge, watching it.

The T-1000 melted quickly with more squeals as it took the form of every person it had to have killed on its journey until it melted into nothing. The moment Sarah couldn't see it moving anymore she ran to her son's side, pulling him into her arms.

"Oh, John, you… are you okay?"

John grimaced as he nodded slowly and Sarah backed away to let the Terminator look over him quickly.

"He will live."

John grunted in pain as he placed his arm over the cut, speaking weakly and sarcastically.

"Thanks."

He turned to his mother and drew in a quick breath as Sarah helped him sit up. John slowly moved to take his backpack off of his shoulders and the Terminator took it off the rest of the way. He opened the back slowly and took out the broken arm and damaged chip and handed it to Sarah.

"I need to find my other arm."

Sarah nodded slowly and John lifted himself up to his knees before wrapping his arms gently around his mother. The two held each other for a few painful seconds before they both drew away slowly. Tears glistened in both of their eyes and Sarah stared into his eyes, shaking her head slowly.

"You did it, John. It's over."

"Yeah… what are we going to do next?"

They both turned to hear the Terminator walking forward holdings its torn arm.

"We destroy everything."

The Terminator helped both Sarah and John to their feet as they slowly walked to the end of the railing. Sarah handed John the arm from the Terminator in 1984 and John quickly tossed it into the vat.

"Adios."

Sarah squeezed the damaged chip in her hand, knowing it was one of the last pieces of 1984 that was still with her. She closed her eyes and drew it close to her heart before she opened her eyes and tossed it into the vat. Then she sighed and gripped John's arm for support.

"It's over."

"No. There is one more chip…"

Sarah and John both looked at the Terminator, watching as it pointed to its head.

"And it must be destroyed, also."

John's eyes widened.

"No! You can't go! Stay with us! It will be okay."

The Terminator looked into John's eyes and spoke softer.

"It has to end here."

The machine leaned forward and gripped one of the chains above the middle of the vat and wrapped its one arm around it. It moved so that it was standing as far on the edge as it could. John leaned forward and grabbed its arm, holding tight to it.

"But I order you not to go. I order you not to go!"

Tears ran down John's cheek as the Terminator lifted his chin up softly, wiping away one of the tears.

"I now know why you cry."

John wrapped his arms around the machine, sobbing softly. Sarah placed her hand on John's shoulder and he let go of the machine, shaking his head slowly. The Terminator let go of the chain for a moment and handed Sarah the controls.

"I cannot self-terminate. You must lower me into the steel."

The Terminated turned and stepped off of the edge, hanging onto the chain, waiting for Sarah to lower it down. John clutched his mother's arm, looking at her with tears streaming down his face.

"Don't do it, mom. Please! It could stay to protect us! Please!"

Sarah drew in a slow breath as she looked away from John and back to the machine. The Terminator nodded once as it said its last word.

"Good-bye."

Sarah pressed her finger down on the button and watched as the machine began lowering the Terminator into the steel. Sparks came off of the machine as it began to melt and just before it was completely destroyed, the Terminator gave John a thumbs-up. John began to sob even more as he held his mother. Sarah quickly dropped the controls and hugged him with her good arm, speaking softly.

"It's over, John. We're free now."


	24. Mad

**Chapter 24: Mad**

Carol Pointe stood in the middle of her office, watching the security monitors as police and construction workers worked inside Cyberdyne Systems. She drew in a slow breath as she opened one of her desk drawers and grabbed the pistol she had used an hour and a half before. She had received news that Sarah and John Connor were injured and sent to the hospital for a few days to recover and the police had assured her that all would be taken care of. Carol lifted the pistol with her finger hovering over the trigger. She heard a soft knock at the door and set the gun down on the desk quietly.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly and a still frightened Miles Dyson stepped through, closing the door gently behind him. His arm was in a sling while it recovered from Sarah's shot. He drew in a slow breath as he walked toward her desk.

"Why didn't you kill them when you had the chance?"

Carol's eyes shifted down to the pistol and she looked back up at Dyson as she placed it back in the drawer.

"Because there is a war coming and I want to have opponents who can stand up to me."

"But you're not Skynet."

Carol folded her hands in front of her as she stepped out from behind her desk.

"Maybe not… but I will control it. We only need to be patient."

Dyson shook his head slowly as he walked toward her, gesturing to the computer.

"Don't you see what they did to your company? We have Terminator at our disposal. We could send them to the hospital and kill the Connors before they can get a chance to fight back. Then you can take care of the remaining members of the Human Resistance and win! Do you not want that?"

"I am not afraid of the Connors, Dyson. I want them to live and fight as long as they can so I can study them."

"You held a gun at John Connor's head and let him go."

Carol's voice grew colder as she stared straight into his dark eyes.

"He's just a scared little boy. I want to watch him grow up to be the great leader his mother is training him to be. I want him to see the worst of the war and I want him to fight me with everything he's got. Maybe that way we can ensure Skynet's survival by studying its enemies. John hasn't existed before so why kill him now when he has so much potential?"

Dyson shook his head slowly as he took another step forward, his face furrowing with confusion.

"And how is that a smart idea? You want to take over the world by giving your enemies a chance to beat you?"

"They won't beat me. And it will be a long war before anyone wins."

"How do you intend to keep the past versions of Skynet from killing them before the war?"

Carol drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she gave him a smile.

"I am going to use all of our resources to destroy the past versions of Skynet and use it to create a better one that I will control."

"No offense, but what makes you so special?"

Carol's smile grew wider as her eyes flicked back to the computer monitors, watching a janitor sweep up the shattered glass cases that used to hold evidence of the 1984 disaster.

"Skynet needs to learn to be patient. And who better to teach it than someone who hasn't existed in a previous timeline? John and I are anomalies. We haven't fought before and neither Skynet nor the Human Resistance is ready for us."

"You place a lot of hope in a small boy."

"He may look small but he is the bravest 10 year old I have ever met. And from this point on, none of my Terminators will harm him until Judgment Day has passed."

Dyson's eyes widened with surprise.

"What!? You're mad!"

Carol slowly turned her back to Dyson, looking out the window with a small smile.

"Yes, I am.


	25. More Than You Thought

**Chapter 25: More Than You Thought**

Jesse Flores reached across the table and gripped her phone, answering the call quickly.

"Hello?"

She lifted her shoulder so that it would hold the phone up as she continued looking through the piles of mail on her kitchen table. Her partner, Detective James Ellison, spoke on the other line.

" _How soon can you leave?"_

Jesse's eyebrows furrowed.

"Um, I can leave pretty quickly. Why?"

" _A couple of days ago Sarah and John Connor were found injured at a steel mill and taken to a hospital in Fremont, California. The director has given them time to heal but he wants us to travel up there to retrieve Sarah and return her to Pescadero."_

Jesse dropped the letter she was holding and held the phone with her own hand as she turned around her, trying to find her shoes.

"What about John?"

" _He'll go back into foster care. It's not good, Jesse. The poor boy will probably never see his mother again."_

"Why not?"

" _When local authorities showed up, there was no physical evidence of either the machines they were fighting or the pieces they stole from Cyberdyne Systems. It was just the two of them bleeding out with multiple injuries."_

Jesse rose out of her seat and jogged to the laundry room, listening carefully before she cut in.

"Don't you have any evidence on security cameras or physical witnesses? John was with a friend at the arcade before he ran away."

" _That friend hasn't seen him or gotten a call from John since."_

Jesse grabbed her coat from the dryer, holding it in her arms as she walked back to the kitchen table.

"Okay, so try another lead. Didn't Doctor Silberman at the mental hospital see the machine?"

" _Even if he did, he would be foolish to admit that crazy Sarah Connors was right. He would lose everything."_

Jesse shook her head slowly with frustration as she set the coat down.

"Surely there has to be someone else."

" _Look, Flores, I personally don't want them to be separated but the director doesn't want to send a 10 year old to a mental hospital to live the rest of his life. By separating them, we can give him the chance to live his own life."_

"You really think he's going to live his own life after all that he just went through? He's scared, Ellison."

" _I don't make the orders. I follow them. Be in Fremont, California at 6 P.M. Got it?"_

Jesse let out a small sigh before she nodded.

"Okay. See you then."

She hung up the phone quickly and shoved it in her back pocket as she sprinted across the apartment to her bedroom. She flung the door open and changed her clothes as fast as she could before slamming comfortable shoes on her feet. Once she was ready, she grabbed her phone again and dialed another number.

"Come on, pick up! Pick up, damn it!"

" _You are so impatient."_

Jesse wasted no time as she scurried around her apartment, grabbing everything as quickly as she could.

"Get up and go to the Powers and grab everything you can and shove it into the truck with you. Ellison called. We're returning Sarah Connor to the mental hospital. If we don't her them now we are never going to."

" _Are you sure?"_

"Yes, I'm sure, Derek."

" _You can't risk losing your job at the FBI… not yet."_

"Sarah Connors is more important than my job! You know that!"

" _Jesse, you hated Sarah Connor. Why are you bent on saving her now?"_

Jesse froze in her tracks and drew in a slow breath. She had hesitated to tell him the full reason why ever since Derek Reese had showed up a couple weeks after her in the past. She knew that he had owed Kyle a debt before his brother had died in 1984 and Jesse hadn't told him that he had left behind more than Sarah Connor. But she drew in another quick breath as she grabbed her keys and walked out of the door to her truck.

"Look Derek, you're right, I don't like Sarah Connor but there's more to this mission than her. Back in 1984, your brother left behind more than you would have thought."

Silence filled the line as she heard the low hum of him driving in his truck, waiting for her to finish her explanation.

"Kyle fell in love with Sarah and she… she got pregnant. Your brother has a 10 year old son named John that is never going to see his mother again if we don't stop the government from separating them."

Derek replied softly on the other line.

" _What?"_

"That's why I need to get them out. That boy hasn't even been through the war yet but I can see the pain in his eyes that is in all of ours. He needs our help and so does Sarah. Our job is to rebuild the Human Resistance so that we are stronger when Judgment Day comes again and I think John could be the missing piece we've been looking for."

" _You think my brother's son can end the war?"_

"Yes, I do. And I know you will know that too once you meet him. He's a strong kid."

" _You… you want me to get the Powers and guns and go to Fremont?"_

"Yes and I'll meet you four there."

There was a small pause in sound and Jesse's heart beat nervously on the other line.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

" _It's okay. I… I know why you didn't tell me."_

"I love you, Derek."

" _I love you too, Jesse. I'll see you in a couple of hours."_

"Bye."

Derek hung up the phone before saying goodbye and Jesse let out a slow breath. She was surprised he didn't want to ask any more questions but she knew he would call again soon so she placed her phone on the passenger's seat and drove as fast on the highway as she could go, hoping Derek and the Powers would understand the time crunch they were under. They needed to get there and out with the Connors, no matter what it took.


	26. Just Like Kyle

**Chapter 26: Just Like Kyle**

Derek Reese fought the urge to roll his eyes as he parked their truck toward the back of the hospital parking lot, ignoring the three Powers triplets argument. He stepped out quickly and they followed behind him, walking around to the back of the truck to get their gear. Derek turned to see Jesse walking toward him and he met her half way, letting out a small sigh.

"Is Ellison here yet?"

Jesse shook her head as she pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail behind her head.

"No."

Derek nodded slowly.

"Okay, what's the plan?"

"I'll hold off my partner as long as I can while the Powers get in from the backside and fight off anyone who tries to get in between us and the Connors."

Derek nodded, eyeing the gun on Jesse's belt.

"Are you going to use that on Ellison?"

"Ellison's a stubborn man. I think even if I shot him he would still crawl his way to the Connors."

Derek smiled softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can do it, Jesse. After all, the fate of the war is in our hands."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Derek leaned down and kissed her forehead softly, holding her hand in his own for a few seconds before he took a step back.

"I'll meet you inside."

"Okay."

Derek walked away from Jesse and back to the truck, looking over the three Powers. They were all identical with black hair and blue eyes. The girls, Claire and Blaire, looked exactly alike but the boy, Reed, had a different facial structure than they did. They were setting up their guns in the back, still arguing about something until the moment Derek walked up. The oldest, Claire, drew her hands away from the guns and looked at Derek.

"What's the plan?"

"Go in from the back while Jesse and I hold the FBI off. Shoot down anyone that gets in between you and the Connors."

A wicked grin spread across Reed's face as he nodded quickly, excited to use his favorite gun again.

"Consider it done."

Claire turned and glared at her brother watching with little surprise as Blaire clapped hands excitedly with Reed. She turned back to Derek and smiled sheepishly.

"Don't worry. They're not as stupid as they act."

Derek's eyes widened slowly as he nodded, knowing they were, as he slipped a comm into his ear.

"This has to work. If we don't get them now, Jesse is afraid we never will. This is your chance to rise higher in the Human Resistance and I suggest all of you take it seriously."

Reed cocked his hip as he looked at Derek with an annoyed look as he mocked.

"Don't worry, _dad_ , we've got it. We fought in the same war you did. We know how these things work."

Derek turned away from them without another word and walked up to the front door of the hospital, watching Jesse. The moment Ellison arrived she tensed up but kept running through the plan. Ellison walked quickly toward the doors and Jesse walked by his side, speaking quickly before she stepped in front, stopping him in his tracks. Derek watched the look on Ellison's face change as Jesse spoke to him. A minute later, Jesse pulled out her gun and shot his knee, pushing him to the ground.

Jesse turned away from her partner and ran toward Derek. He opened the door quickly, pulling out his own pistol, and the two charged through the front of the hospital. Derek pointed his gun at the ceiling and fired off a shot. Doctors, nurses, patients, and their family members all ducked instantly and the moment security came in, Jesse and Derek shot them down by hitting their legs. Derek heard Blaire's voice in his head.

" _Go to floor three room seven. We'll hold the rest of them off."_

Derek turned around to see the three Powers holding their shotguns, ready to fight any way the police would come in. Derek nodded to Claire who returned it and Derek took Jesse's arm, running toward the staircase. They ran two steps at a time up the stairs with Derek occasionally stopping to fight an oncoming guard, letting Jesse run continuously. Jesse threw her body into the door for the third floor and the two ran down the hallway with their guns out, keeping everyone afraid to approach them.

Jesse stopped at the seventh room and Derek turned his back to her, looking down both ends of the hallway for company. They could hear shouts and gun shots from down stairs but quickly tuned it out so they could continue with the mission.

"Do you have your lock picking kit?"

Derek pulled it out from his coat pocket and dropped it into Jesse's hand, taking her gun from her.

"Always."

Jesse smiled at him before she turned away to pick the lock, shoving it in his coat pocket once she unlocked it. She grabbed her pistol from him and the two walked into the room. The moment Jesse set foot in the room; she was attacked by none other than Sarah Connor. The two women wrestled on the floor and Jesse was surprised to find that even while injured, Sarah packed mean punches. Jesse put her arms up to try and deflect them but a few seconds later, Derek had already pulled Sarah off of her.

"Hey, hey, hey. Get a grip, Connor. We're not here to take you away or kill you."

Derek took Jesse's hand, lifting her up to her feet. Jesse shoved her gun in her back pocket as she wiped some blood from her mouth.

"I'm Jesse Flores and this is Derek Reese."

Sarah's blue eyes widened quickly at the name and Jesse nodded.

"Yeah, Kyle's big brother."

Sarah turned around quickly to look back at her son who was on his feet, watching with eyes filled with fear. But despite the evident fear, he walked toward them, looking over Jesse and Derek, drawing in a slow breath before he locked eyes with his mother. Derek shook his head slowly as he looked over his nephew. The kid looked nothing like his mother but just like Kyle. Derek bent down slowly and placed a hand on John's shoulder, looking straight into his pale green eyes.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

Derek returned the nod and looked over at Sarah.

"We need to leave now."

"Where are we going?"

Derek drew away from John and let Jesse do the talking.

"My partner, Ellison, came to separate you two but I shot him so he shouldn't be a problem until we get out. Derek will take you in the truck while I get the others from downstairs before they kill everyone in sight."

Sarah nodded and the two Connors walked to the front door, eager to leave. Jesse gripped Derek's wrist as he turned away, staring into his green eyes.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Jesse lifted herself so that she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed Derek's lips softly before she pulled away.

"I'll see you soon."

Derek smiled as he turned away from her but it quickly faded as John turned back to look at them. The kid looked nothing like his mother but just like Kyle.


End file.
